Purine Transporters as Efficient Carriers for Anti-kinetoplastid Molecules: 3'-Deoxytubercidin versus Trypanosomes.

After a growing interest in the function of purine transporters in protozoa during the 1990s and early 2000s, the area experienced a lull phase. Recently, however, the potential of tubercidin derivatives, particularly 3'-deoxytubercidin, to cure Trypanosoma brucei infection seems to have started a new wave of interest in the subject, with a large number of newly designed compounds and extensive in vitro testing against T. brucei , Trypanosoma cruzi , and Leishmania spp. Understanding the biochemical properties of purine transporters and using them as drug carriers seem to be emerging once again as a valuable tactic in the fight against neglected diseases.