Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified a series of chemical compounds that might serve as starting points for the identification of new classes of anti-malarial drugs.
In the multicenter study, researchers including Dr. Margaret Phillips and Farah El Mazouni collaborated to identify a series of chemical compounds that might serve as starting points for new classes of anti-malarial drugs.
Malaria - Waterborne
Encyclopedia section of medindia gives general information about About Malaria Causes
Advertisement
Drugs are the mainstay of malaria treatment, yet the parasite is notorious for developing drug resistance, which compromises current therapy.
"Malaria remains one of the most globally significant infectious diseases that we face," Nature quoted Phillips as saying.
"Novel chemical compounds with anti-malarial activity represent a potent tool in the process of developing new drugs to treat this disease," she added.
![Side-Effects Of Anti-Malarial Drug Related to Amino Acid Deficiency]( "Side-Effects Of Anti-Malarial Drug Related to Amino Acid Deficiency")
University of Nottingham researchers say that the anti-malarial drug quinine has the potential to block a cell's ability to take up the essential amino acid tryptophan,
The study started with a "library" of 309,474 chemical compounds.
The researchers used a technique called high throughput screening, in which they tested thousands of compounds quickly to identify those with anti-malarial action.
"In addition, publishing the full set of identified compounds will maximize the chances for the most-promising candidates to move into large-scale drug development programs," said Phillips.
The screen identified 1,152 compounds that killed the parasite.
The researchers then followed up with further tests to determine the mechanism of action of the identified compounds, where possible.
They tested whether any of the identified compounds killed malaria parasites by inhibiting an enzyme necessary to make pyrimidine, an intermediate molecule for creating DNA.
She discovered that three of the library's compounds with anti-malarial activity blocked this enzyme.
Two of those had similar chemical structures to a class of known compounds that she and her colleagues have been studying for possible drug development.
The third compound previously was not known to target the enzyme.
"It looked very different from anything we knew about before," she said.
Having a variety of anti-malarial drugs with different chemical structures and modes of action is important because different types of drugs are given together to slow the parasite from developing resistance, said Phillips.
In all, the researchers from the various centers found 172 compounds that are "reasonable starting points" for development of new types of drugs.
"We call the identified candidates 'hits,' but if any of them are going to become drugs, they're going to have to undergo chemical modification. For instance, they may need to be altered chemically to enter the cell more easily, or to improve their pharmacology so they will be more effective in people," said Phillips.
The study appears in the latest issue of Nature.
Source: ANI
TAN
"Novel chemical compounds with anti-malarial activity represent a potent tool in the process of developing new drugs to treat this disease," she added.
Side-Effects Of Anti-Malarial Drug Related to Amino Acid Deficiency
University of Nottingham researchers say that the anti-malarial drug quinine has the potential to block a cell's ability to take up the essential amino acid tryptophan,
Advertisement
The study started with a "library" of 309,474 chemical compounds.
The researchers used a technique called high throughput screening, in which they tested thousands of compounds quickly to identify those with anti-malarial action.
"In addition, publishing the full set of identified compounds will maximize the chances for the most-promising candidates to move into large-scale drug development programs," said Phillips.
The screen identified 1,152 compounds that killed the parasite.
The researchers then followed up with further tests to determine the mechanism of action of the identified compounds, where possible.
They tested whether any of the identified compounds killed malaria parasites by inhibiting an enzyme necessary to make pyrimidine, an intermediate molecule for creating DNA.
She discovered that three of the library's compounds with anti-malarial activity blocked this enzyme.
Two of those had similar chemical structures to a class of known compounds that she and her colleagues have been studying for possible drug development.
The third compound previously was not known to target the enzyme.
"It looked very different from anything we knew about before," she said.
Having a variety of anti-malarial drugs with different chemical structures and modes of action is important because different types of drugs are given together to slow the parasite from developing resistance, said Phillips.
In all, the researchers from the various centers found 172 compounds that are "reasonable starting points" for development of new types of drugs.
"We call the identified candidates 'hits,' but if any of them are going to become drugs, they're going to have to undergo chemical modification. For instance, they may need to be altered chemically to enter the cell more easily, or to improve their pharmacology so they will be more effective in people," said Phillips.
The study appears in the latest issue of Nature.
Source: ANI
TAN
Anti-malarial Drug Development Target Revealed
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St.Louis has revealed weak-links that could act as potential drug target for malarial parasites.
Advertisement
 Counterfeit Anti-malarial Drugs Risking Millions of Lives in AfricaMore than one third of antimalarial drugs sold in Africa have been deemed ineffective by scientists, who claim that all these drugs did not fare too well in quality tests. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Readings
Latest Tropical Disease News
Mumbai's TechInvention Lifecare and South Korean Eubiologics team up to introduce oral cholera vaccine in India after successful phase III clinical trial.
Scientists have found that the dengue virus has become more severe in India, highlighting the urgent need for vaccines that target the strains found in the country.
It is important to consider malarial infection in cases of acute kidney injury in someone with a travel history from endemic areas to improve treatment outcomes.
Ghana approves the use of the University of Oxford's malaria vaccine, produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII), becoming the first country to adopt the new vaccine.
The dengue virus combines molecules from its RNA with mosquito saliva to foil the human immune system and spread dengue fever and related diseases.