Leishmaniases is a severe disease, and yearly more than 1 million people get infected by the parasites (protozoa) that cause this disease. The infection is currently treated by highly toxic medications, and therefore in many laboratories better drugs are searched. After screening more than 500 extracts of marine organisms, finally an active compound from the sponge Callyspongia sp. was found. Several terpenoids were isolated as the biologically active compounds which might be the basis for the development of new drugs for the treatment of leishmaniasis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lit: R. G. S. Berlinck et al., J. Org. Chem. 71 (2006) 8688.