Poly-basic peptides and polymers as new drug candidate against Plasmodium falciparum.

ABSTRACT: Plasmodium falciparum, the malaria-causing parasite, is a leading cause of infection-induced deaths worldwide. The preferred treatment approach is artemisinin-combination therapy, which couples fast-acting artemisinin derivatives with longer-acting drugs like lumefantrine, mefloquine, and amodiaquine. However, the urgency for new treatments has risen due to the parasite's growing resistance to existing therapies. Our study shows that a common characteristic of the P. falciparum proteome - stretches of poly-lysine residues such as those found in proteins related to adhesion and pathogenicity - can serve as an effective peptide treatment for infected erythrocytes. A single dose of these poly-basic peptides can successfully diminish parasitemia in human erythrocytes in vitro<

SUBMITTER: Sivakumar R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10516022 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature