10.1016/j.bmcl.2015.08.018
The research focuses on the synthesis and biological activity of a series of 14 benzimidazole derivatives designed to target the enzyme triosephosphate isomerase (TcTIM) of Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite responsible for Chagas disease. The study aims to develop new drugs to treat this neglected tropical disease, as existing treatments are not ideal due to side effects and variable efficacy. The researchers synthesized the benzimidazole derivatives by reacting methyl 6-chloro-2-mercapto-1H-benzimidazole-5-carboxylate with various 2-chloroacetamides. The synthesized compounds were then tested for their ability to inhibit TcTIM, with four compounds showing moderate inhibitory activity and no inhibitory activity against human TIM (HsTIM). Among these, compound 10 (pyrazin-2-yl) and compound 14 (5-nitrothiazol-2-yl) exhibited the highest TcTIM inhibition and were further tested for their trypanocidal activity against T. cruzi epimastigotes. Compound 10 showed better inhibitory activity than the reference drug nifurtimox and had a favorable cytotoxicity profile in mouse macrophages. The study highlights the potential of these benzimidazole derivatives as selective TcTIM inhibitors and as a basis for the development of new treatments for Chagas disease.