Abstract
Cruzain, the main cysteine protease of Trypanosoma cruzi, is an essential enzyme for the life cycle of the parasite and has been used as a viable target for searching for enzyme inhibitors as drug candidates. The peptide mimetic compound K11777 inhibits cruzain at nanomolar concentrations, and acts by an irreversible inhibition mechanism. Analogs or derivatives K11777 usually contain elec…