Metallomics and other omics approaches in antiparasitic metal-based drug research

Abstract

Potential use of metal complexes in medicine is an area of bioinorganic chemistry that has gained much interest. High-throughput omics approaches can provide in-depth insights into the mechanism of action of new metal-based compounds. Discovering new metallodrugs against Trypanosoma cruzi is an emerging field. Combining metallomics, proteomics, and transcriptomics allows the identification of multiple molecular targets and several parasitic metabolic pathways affected by V(IV), Pt(II), and Pd(II) potential antiparasitic drugs. Specifically, metallomics studies with Pd(II) and Pt(II) analogous compounds show higher parasite uptake of the Pt(II) than Pd(II), and both accumulate similarly in the parasite DNA fraction. Unexpectedly, vanadium did not associate with DNA. The studies reviewed illustrate the use of omics techniques for determining molecular targets of potential therapeutic agents.

Keywords: Metallomics; Omics; Palladium; Platinum; Transition metals; Trypanosoma cruzi; Vanadium.