Current developments on the antimalarial, antileishmanial, and antitrypanosomal potential and mechanisms of action of Terminalia spp

Leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis, and malaria are three parasitic diseases sharing a similar demographic and geographical distribution. These infections are intimately related to poverty, cause important local burdens, and are prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions. Treatment options are limited due to the toxicity of available drugs, parasite resistance, and long treatment requirements. Terminalia plants have long been used as alternative therapies for these parasitic infections. The present study aims to summarize up-to-date information on the antimalarial, antileishmanial and antitrypanosomal activities of plants from the genus Terminalia. The mechanisms of action of the antiparasitic compounds from Terminalia spp. are also highlighted. The embodied information was acquired without date limitation by June 2022 using a variety of electronic databases, such as SciFinder, Science Direct, PubMed (National Library of Medicine), SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online), ACS (American Chemical Society), Wiley, Google Scholar, Springer, and Web of Science. Upon in vitro and cytotoxicity experiments, natural products from Terminalia plants revealed a wide range (stretching from moderately to highly active) of antiparasitic activities against Plasmodium, Leishmania, and Trypanosoma species. However, very little is known about the in vivo effectiveness of Terminalia compounds against these parasites. Despite the variety of mechanisms of action attributed to most of these antiparasitic compounds, the exact mechanisms involved are still controversial. Overall, modern pharmacological studies have demonstrated the importance of natural products from Terminalia spp. in search of potential candidates for drug development against malaria, leishmaniasis, and trypanosomiasis. However, in vivo experiments, followed by cytotoxicity and pharmacokinetic studies, and detailed mechanisms of action of the most promising antiparasitic compounds should be the subject of future investigations.