Antiprotozoal activity of proton-pump inhibitors

Parasitic diseases are still a major health problem in developing countries. In our effort to find new antiparasitic agents, in this Letter we report the in vitro antiprotozoal activity of omeprazole, lansoprazole, rabeprazole and pantoprazole against Trichomonas vaginalis, Giardia intestinalis and Entamoeba histolytica. Molecular modeling studies were an important tool to highlight the potential antiprotozoal activity of these drugs. Experimental evaluations revealed a strong activity for all compounds tested. Rabeprazole and pantoprazole were the most active compounds, having IC50 values in the nanomolar range, which were even better than metronidazole, the drug of choice for these parasites. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.