Effect of Trichomonacide 6-Nitro-1 H -benzimidazole Derivative Compounds on Expression Level of Metabolic Genes in Trichomonas vaginalis .

The parasite Trichomonas vaginalis is the etiologic agent of trichomoniasis, the most common non-viral sexually transmitted disease worldwide. This infection often remains asymptomatic and is related to several health complications. The traditional treatment for trichomoniasis is the use of drugs of the 5-nitroimidazole family, such as metronidazole; however, scientific reports indicate an increasing number of drug-resistant strains. Benzimidazole derivatives could offer an alternative in the search for new anti-trichomonas drugs. In this sense, two attractive candidates are the compounds O2 N-BZM7 and O2 N-BZM9 (1 H -benzimidazole derivatives), since, through in vitro tests, they have shown a higher trichomonacide activity. In this study, we determined the effect on the expression level of metabolic genes in T. vaginalis . The results show that genes involved in redox balance ( NADHOX , G6PD::6PGL ) are overexpressed, as well as the gene that participates in the first reaction of glycolysis ( CK ); on the other hand, structural genes such as ACT and TUB are decreased in expression in trophozoites treated with the compound O2 N-BZM9 , which would probably affect its morphology, motility and virulence. These results align with the trichomonacidal activity of the compounds, with benzimidazole O2 N-BZM9 being the most potent, with an IC50 value of 4.8 μM. These results are promising for potential future therapeutic applications.