Abstract
Malaria, one of the major reemerging parasitic diseases, is caused by protozoal parasites belonging to the genus plasmodia. Antimalarial drugs have played a mainstream role in controlling the spread of malaria through the treatment of patients infected with the plasmodial parasites and controlling its transmissibility. The current line of therapy against malaria is faced with the hurdles of a low or total lack of efficacy due to the evolution of drug-resistant strains of the malarial parasites. Preventive vaccination against malaria is an ideal solution to this problem but is not expected to arrive for at least a decade. Development of antimalarial drugs involving novel mechanisms of action is therefore of imminent importance. Several novel drug candidates of synthetic and natural products origin as well as their combination therapies are currently being evaluated for their efficacy against the drug-resistant strains of the parasites. Various plasmodial targets/pathways, such as the Purine salvage pathway, Pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway as well as the processes in the apicoplast, have been identified and are being utilized for the discovery and development of novel antimalarial therapies. This review provides an overview of the latest developments in terms of drugs, combination therapies and novel plasmodial targets being carried out to counter the menace of drug-resistant malaria.
Keywords: Malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, Multi-drug resistance, Antimalarial drugs, Plasmodial targets, Combination drugs, Vaccination, Apicoplast
Current Medicinal Chemistry
Title: The Fight Against Drug-Resistant Malaria: Novel Plasmodial Targets and Antimalarial Drugs
Volume: 15 Issue: 2
Author(s): Mitchell A. Avery, Seoung-Ryoung Choi and Prasenjit Mukherjee
Affiliation:
Keywords: Malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, Multi-drug resistance, Antimalarial drugs, Plasmodial targets, Combination drugs, Vaccination, Apicoplast
Abstract: Malaria, one of the major reemerging parasitic diseases, is caused by protozoal parasites belonging to the genus plasmodia. Antimalarial drugs have played a mainstream role in controlling the spread of malaria through the treatment of patients infected with the plasmodial parasites and controlling its transmissibility. The current line of therapy against malaria is faced with the hurdles of a low or total lack of efficacy due to the evolution of drug-resistant strains of the malarial parasites. Preventive vaccination against malaria is an ideal solution to this problem but is not expected to arrive for at least a decade. Development of antimalarial drugs involving novel mechanisms of action is therefore of imminent importance. Several novel drug candidates of synthetic and natural products origin as well as their combination therapies are currently being evaluated for their efficacy against the drug-resistant strains of the parasites. Various plasmodial targets/pathways, such as the Purine salvage pathway, Pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway as well as the processes in the apicoplast, have been identified and are being utilized for the discovery and development of novel antimalarial therapies. This review provides an overview of the latest developments in terms of drugs, combination therapies and novel plasmodial targets being carried out to counter the menace of drug-resistant malaria.
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Cite this article as:
Avery A. Mitchell, Choi Seoung-Ryoung and Mukherjee Prasenjit, The Fight Against Drug-Resistant Malaria: Novel Plasmodial Targets and Antimalarial Drugs, Current Medicinal Chemistry 2008; 15 (2) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/092986708783330575
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/092986708783330575 |
Print ISSN 0929-8673 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-533X |
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