Natural Products from Mexican Medicinal Plants as Promising Trypanocidal Drugs

Abstract Chagas disease (American Trypanosomiasis ), caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi , is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the 17 neglected tropical diseases (NTD). Originally, it affected tropical regions of Latin America, but it is becoming globalized. Thousands of patients die annually because no therapeutic agents have been approved recently. Only nifurtimox and benznidazole are available, but these have several drawbacks, such as low efficacy, protozoan resistance, and human toxicity. Secondary metabolites found in plants offer structures that could be optimized for drug development. This review assesses the literature from the last 13 years (2012–2024) about anti‐ T. cruzi compounds isolated from Mexican plants, and their activity against epimastigotes, trypomastigotes, and amastigotes stages of the parasite. Several species, extracts, and compounds have a high potential for the development of new drugs; however, in vivo assays, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics studies are now needed.