Pyridoxal 5-Phosphate-Dependent Enzymes: A New Strategy to Target the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium falciparum
2009

Targeting Malaria Parasite with New Pyridoxal Compounds

publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Müller Ingrid B., Wu Fang, Bergmann Bärbel, Knöckel Julia, Walter Rolf D., Gehring Heinz, Wrenger Carsten

Primary Institution: Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany

Hypothesis

Can synthetic pyridoxyl-amino acid adducts effectively inhibit the growth of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum?

Conclusion

The compound PT3 effectively inhibits the growth of Plasmodium falciparum without harming human cells.

Supporting Evidence

  • PT3 inhibited the proliferation of Plasmodium with an IC50-value of 14 µM.
  • PT3 showed only a marginal effect on human cell growth.
  • Phosphorylated forms of pyridoxyl-adducts were shown to inhibit PfODC activity.

Takeaway

Scientists created new compounds to stop malaria parasites from growing, and one of them, PT3, worked really well without hurting human cells.

Methodology

The study involved synthesizing pyridoxyl-amino acid adducts and testing their effects on the growth of Plasmodium falciparum in vitro.

Limitations

The study did not experimentally measure the inhibitory action of PPT3 on PfODC due to its unavailability.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0004406

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