Abstract:
Malaria is caused by an apicomplexan protozoan parasite, Plasmodium, and is transmitted through vectors. It remains a substantial health burden, especially in developing countries, leading to significant socioeconomic losses. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) has approved various antimalarial medications in the past two decades, the increasing resistance to these medications has worsened the situation. The development of drug resistance stems from genetic diversity among Plasmodium strains, impeding eradication efforts. Consequently, exploring innovative technologies and strategies for developing effective medications based on the host is crucial. Artemisinin and its derivatives (artemisinins) have been recommended by the WHO for treating malaria owing to their known effectiveness in killing the parasite. However, their potential to target the host for malaria treatment has not been investigated. This article concisely reviews the application of host-directed therapeutics, potential drug candidates targeting the host for treating malaria, and usage of artemisinins in numerous diseases. It underscores the importance of host-directed interventions for individuals susceptible to malaria, suggests the potential utility of artemisinins in host-directed malaria treatments, and posits that the modulation of host proteins with artemisinins may offer a means of intervening in host-parasite interactions. Further studies focusing on the host-targeting perspective of artemisinins can provide new insights into the mechanisms of artemisinin resistance and offer a unique opportunity for new antimalarial drug discovery.
摘要:
疟疾是由根尖丛原生动物寄生虫引起的,疟原虫,并通过矢量传输。它仍然是一个巨大的健康负担,特别是在发展中国家,导致重大的社会经济损失。尽管世界卫生组织(WHO)在过去的二十年中批准了各种抗疟药,对这些药物的耐药性增加使情况恶化。耐药性的发展源于疟原虫菌株之间的遗传多样性,阻碍根除努力。因此,探索基于宿主开发有效药物的创新技术和策略至关重要。青蒿素及其衍生物(青蒿素)已被WHO推荐用于治疗疟疾,因为它们在杀死寄生虫方面具有已知的效力。然而,尚未研究它们针对宿主进行疟疾治疗的潜力。本文简要综述了宿主导向疗法的应用,针对宿主治疗疟疾的潜在候选药物,以及在许多疾病中使用青蒿素。它强调了以宿主为导向的干预措施对易感染疟疾的个人的重要性,提示青蒿素在宿主导向的疟疾治疗中的潜在效用,并认为用青蒿素调节宿主蛋白可能提供一种干预宿主-寄生虫相互作用的手段。针对青蒿素的宿主靶向观点的进一步研究可以为青蒿素耐药机制提供新的见解,并为新的抗疟药物发现提供独特的机会。