Catechins as Emerging and Promising Antiparasitic Agents
Raul Garcia
Abstract
Catechins are polyphenols present in green tea and other plant species as a defense against pathogen insults that profile their health-promoting and anti-infectious activities in humans. Worth noting their anti-parasite effects have emerged in recent years. In this review, we focus on the effect of catechins over growth and pathogenic mechanisms of a variety of extracellular, anaerobic (Giardia, Entamoeba) and intracellular, apicomplexan (Plasmodium) and kinetoplastid (Trypanosoma, Leishmania) protozoa and nematodes of livestock impact as Teladorsagia, Trichostrongylus, Ascaris and Haemonchus. Moreover, an inhibitory effect of (galloyl)-catechins on allergenic proteases from mites has been reported. Altogether, these data pinpoint (galloyl)-catechins as candidates for novel alternatives in therapeutic intervention and therapy-associated problems, such as secondary effects and drug resistance in parasitic infections.