High-throughput screening of the ReFRAME library identifies potential drug repurposing candidates for Trypanosoma cruzi

Abstract

Chagas disease, caused by the kinetoplastid parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, affects between 6 and 7 million people worldwide, with an estimated 300,000 to 1 million of these cases in the United States. In the chronic phase of infection, T. cruzi can cause severe gastrointestinal and cardiac disease, which can be fatal. Currently, only benznidazole is clinically-approved by the FDA for pediatric use to treat this infection in the USA. Toxicity associated with this compound has driven the search for new anti-Chagas agents. Drug repurposing is a particularly attractive strategy for neglected diseases, as pharmacological parameters and toxicity are already known for these compounds, reducing costs and saving time in the drug development pipeline. Here, we screened ~ 12,000 compounds from the ReFRAME library, a collection of drugs or compounds with confirmed clinical safety, against T. cruzi. We identified 7 compounds of interest with potent in vitro activity against the parasite with a therapeutic index of 10 or greater, including the previously-unreported activity of the antiherpetic compound 348U87. These results provide the framework for further development of new T. cruzi leads that can potentially move quickly to the clinic.