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Malaria – the importance of phytochemicals as sources of alternative medicines

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Title Malaria – the importance of phytochemicals as sources of alternative medicines
 
Creator Yu-Ping, Lau
Mendonça, Diana
Sheng-Khai, Lau
Phan-Sing, Yu Audrey
Chimplee, Siriphorn
Chuprom, Julalak
Boonhok, Rachasak
Mahboob, Tooba
Oliveira, Sonia MR
Rajagopal, Mogana
Pereira, Maria L.
Girol, Ana P.
Nissapatorn, Veeranoot
 
Subject Infectious diseases
Malaria
Phytochemicals
Plasmodium
Prevention
Treatment
Vaccines
 
Description 274-285
Malaria is a zoonotic disease caused by parasites from the Plasmodium genus. This parasite is transmitted to
humans when bitten by female Anopheles mosquitos. Five species of Plasmodium are known to infect humans: P. malariae,
P. ovale, P. knowlesi, P. falciparum, and P. vivax. Of these, P. falciparum is associated with the highest probability of
severe infection. This parasite's lifecycle involves a sexual stage and an asexual stage. The first takes place in the mosquito
and the second in humans. The diagnosis of malaria can be done by microscopy, rapid diagnostic tests or molecular
methods, the latter being the most accurate. As for the treatment of this disease, artemisinin, chloroquine, primaquine, and
tafenoquine are the principal components used in today's available treatments. Vaccination is also an important factor in the
fight against malaria, and, presently, there are two available vaccines, RTS, S/AS01 and R21/Matrix-M. Several
phytochemicals effective against malaria are also found in plant species used in traditional medicine. Examples are
Azadirachta indica, Gossypium barbadense, Toddalia asiatica, Alstonia scholaris, Carica papaya, Andrographis
paniculata, and Strychnos ligustrina. Furthermore, compounds from three wild nutmeg species have also been proven
effective against P. falciparum. The medicinal properties of phytochemicals like alkaloids, phenolic compounds and
terpenes have even allowed the investigation of drug-resistant malaria strains. When it comes to preventing malaria
transmission, insecticide treated nests and indoor residual spraying have been proven to reduce transmission rates. For
pregnant women, intermittent preventive treatment of malaria is also recommended. The need for the development of
innovative treatment and prevention strategies is urgent due to the emergence of resistant strains. Hence, we present an
overview of the available treatment and prevention strategies currently approved and employed while focusing on the
potential of phytochemicals as targets for further studies that can lead to the development of new medicines.
 
Date 2024-08-06T05:39:48Z
2024-08-06T05:39:48Z
2024-08
 
Type Article
 
Identifier 0976-0512 (Online); 0976-0504 (Print)
http://nopr.niscpr.res.in/handle/123456789/64373
https://doi.org/10.56042/ijnpr.v15i2.11493
 
Language en
 
Relation Int. cl. (2021.01)− A61K 36/00, A61P, A61P 33/00, A61P 33/06
 
Publisher NIScPR-CSIR,India
 
Source IJNPR Vol.15(2) [June 2024]