Anti-Malarial Drugs (Paul Smith) Flashcards
Which stages of Plasmodium falciparum life cycle can we target with drugs?
Insecticides / repellants
Hepatic stage
Schizont stage
Gametocyte stage
How can drugs target malaria?
Exploit metabolic differences between host and parasite
= selective toxicity
Molecular differences, location, access
Greater accumulation in parasite compared to man
Drug activated by parasite
What is the benefit to culturing parasites?
Determine drug sensitivity
Which drugs target hypnozoites?
Folate antagnoists: porguanil hydrochloride
Antimitochondrial
What antibiotic drugs are used for prophylaxis and treatment?
Doxycycline
Which drugs target the parasitic food vacuole?
Schizontocydes
Intra-erythrocytic
Quinolines; chloroquine, quinidine, mefloquine, sesquiterpine lactone, natural product.
What stage of the plasmodium life cycle do folate inhibitors and anti-mitochondrials target?
Hepatic stages
Which stage of the plasmodium life cycle is attacked by quinolines?
Blood stages
What is Malarone used in the treatment of?
Uncomplicated actue falciparum and prophylaxis.
How does atavaquone work?
Effective against sporozoites, it is an analgoue of ubiquinone and so blocks its usual role in mitochondrial ETC. Blocking ATP synthesis and mitochondrial function.
It interacts with the cytochrome bc1 complex III of the ETC.
Where does atavoquone bind?
Binds to the ubiquinol oxidation pocket of cyto bc1 complex
How does atavoquone have low mammalian toxicity?
Mitochondria of Apicomplexan parasites are the target
Specificity of the parasite by structural features of its complex III
Is atavoquone effective at erythrocytic stage of malaria?
No because they do not use mitochondria for energy so less susceptible
When can resistance to atavaquone develop?
Point mutations in bc1 ubiquinol binding pocket
How does proguanil work?
Pro-drug for chlorguanide
Effective against sporozoites
Prophylatic treatment
Two proposed mechanisms: antifolate
synergistic action with atavaquone
What can proguanil be used in combination with?
Atavoquone
What is proguanil metabolised to in vitro?
Cycloguanil
Inhibits DHFR which catalyses the formation of dihydrofolate to tetrahydrofolate required for purine base synthesis and some amino acid synthesis
Inhibits cell proliferation and growth in parasite
How is proguanil converted to cycloguanil?
CYP450
How does proguanil not affect man?
Humans cannot synthesise folate de novo