Discovery of a new eugenol-benznidazole hybrid active against different evolutive stages of Trypanosoma cruzi.

Chagas disease (CD) is a life-threatening illness caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi and there are only two drugs currently available for pharmacotherapy of this neglected infection (benznidazole and nifurtimox). Their limited efficacy in chronic phase of the disease, problems of toxicity and the growing resistance by the protozoan are directly associated to high rates of drug discontinuation by the patients. In the context of the search for new trypanocidal drug candidates, our group has been working with the chemical manipulation of eugenol to obtain new agents active against T.