Abstract
Several measures are in place to combat the worldwide spread of malaria, especially in regions of high endemicity. In part, most common antimalarials, such as quinolines and artemisinin and its derivatives, deploy an ROS-mediated approach to kill malaria parasites. Although some antimalarials may share similar targets and mechanisms of action, varying levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation may account for their varying pharmacological activities. Regardless of the numerous approaches employed currently and in development to treat malaria, concerningly, there has been increasing development of resistance by Plasmodium falciparum, which can be connected to the ability of the parasites to manage the oxidative stress from ROS produced under steady or treatment states. ROS generation has remained the mainstay in enforcing the antiparasitic activity of most conventional antimalarials. However, a combination of conventional drugs with ROS-generating ability and newer drugs that exploit vital metabolic pathways, such antioxidant machinery, could be the way forward in effective malaria control.
Highlights
Accepted: 16 November 2021Malaria is a vector-transmitted parasite disease that continues to plague mankind
Chloroquine and most antiplasmodial drugs have lost their usefulness in malaria control due to parasite resistance development [10,11], and it is worrisome to note that the continued relevance of the current gold-standard drug artemisinin and its derivatives is threatened by resistance development, which was first reported in 2008 [12,13]
It is apparent that conventional antimalarials deploy reactive oxygen species (ROS), responsible for their parasiticidal activity
Summary
Malaria is a vector-transmitted parasite disease that continues to plague mankind It is caused in humans by five main species of Plasmodium. Several recommendations have been made with regard to malaria control These recommendations range from the use of insecticide spray and sleeping under insecticide-treated nets to the use of chemotherapeutic agents. Chloroquine and most antiplasmodial drugs have lost their usefulness in malaria control due to parasite resistance development [10,11], and it is worrisome to note that the continued relevance of the current gold-standard drug artemisinin and its derivatives is threatened by resistance development, which was first reported in 2008 [12,13]. As the in vitro culture of P. vivax has not yet been mastered, the redox system of Plasmodium has almost exclusively been studied in P. falciparum
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