Effects of algae bioactive compounds on Trypanosoma cruzi: A systematic review

Chagas disease (CD) is caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi which has trypomastigotes and amastigotes as clinical forms. Several clinical symptoms and complications are associated with CD and treatments available are not effective due to its high toxicity and doubtful effectiveness in the chronic phase. On the other hand, algae constitute an important source of bioactive metabolites, and some species of macroalgae, microalgae, and cyanobacteria showed anti-T. cruzi activity. Therefore, this work aimed to synthesize systematically experimental data about algae compounds on T. cruzi. For this purpose, a systematic electronic search in Science Direct, Medline, Web of Science, Springer Link, Wiley Online Library, Scielo, and MDPI databases was performed to identify papers related to anti-T. cruzi activity of bioactive compounds from algae. A total of 15 studies met the inclusion criteria and were eligible for this review. The majority of the studies showed significant anti-T. cruzi activity of ethanolic extracts or using a mix of organic solvents obtained by homogenization methods against trypomastigotes forms. However, although in vitro and in vivo studies indicate important effects of bioactive algae against T. cruzi, this review highlights the need to explore the potential of these algae as future alternatives for use in clinical trials associated or not with benznidazole, a drug used in the treatment of human Chagas disease.