Virtual screening of approved drugs against Purine nucleoside phosphorylase of Schistosoma mansoni

Schistosomiasis is an endemic neglected tropical disease caused by trematodes of the genus Schistosoma. Purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) of purine salvage pathway is essential for recovery of nucleosides in Schistosoma species. Schistosoma mansoni PNP (SmPNP) is well-explored drug target for schistosomiasis. The currently available drugs have adverse effects such as abdominal discomfort, nausea, drowsiness and pyrexia. Hence, there is a need for new compounds exhibiting anti-schistosomal activity with minimal or no side effects. In the present study, virtual screening of approved drugs from Drug Bank was compared against Schistosoma mansoni and human PNPs. Among the approved drugs, 15 molecules were selected based on the interaction scores, out of which 11 drugs interacted with SmPNP and the remaining four interacted with human PNP.