Differential in vitro activity of the DNA topoisomerase inhibitor idarubicin against Trypanosoma rangeli and Trypanosoma cruzi.

In this study the effect of eight DNA topoisomerase inhibitors on the growth Trypanosoma rangeli epimastigotes in cell culture was investigated. Among the eight compounds tested, idarubicin was the only compound that displayed promising trypanocidal activity with a half-maximal growth inhibition (GI(50)) value in the sub-micromolar range. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis showed a reduction in DNA content in T.