Anti-Malarials

Question 1

List the two antimalarial treatments, and what plasmodium they’re for

Answer 1

Chloroquine - used to treat less serious forms e.g Plasmodium Viviax

Quinine serious! e.g Plasmodium Falciparum

Question 2

Chloroquine + Quinine MOA?

Answer 2

• As part of their growth cycle in humans, malarial parasites infect RBC
  
  • haemoglobin is used by these parasites as a source of Amino Acids, but the red haeme pigment remains intact
  • this haeme pigment is toxic to these microbes and has to be converted to other compounds if the parasite is to be able to grow
• Both quinine and chloroquine are thought to act to prevent this detoxification of haeme in the parasite
• -> ∴ the haeme remains and as such is toxic ultimately through cell lysis.

Question 3

How does Artemisin-based combination therapy work?

Answer 3

MOA is not clear!

• Artemether – may cause free radical damage of parasitic membrane
• Lumefantrine – may inhibit nucleic acid and protein synthesis