A Postulated Mechanism of the Antimalarial Effect of Free Radicals Generated by Artemisinin on Plasmodium falciparum
Alfaqih Hussain Omar1
, Khalid Hajissa2, Jarrar Qais Bashir3, Alfaqih Sirin Omar4, Aldoghachi Ahmed Faris5, Abu Bakar Nurhidanatasha1*1Biomedicine Programme, School of Health Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia.
2Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Medical Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia.
3Department of Pharmaceutical Science, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Isra’a University, Amman, Jordan.
4Department of Internal Medicine, Al Noor Specialist Hospital, Mecca 20424, Saudi Arabia.
5Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Cheras, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Corresponding Author E-mail:hussain.omar.alfaqih@gmail.com
Abstract: Artemisinin and its derivatives, a class of antimalarial drugs, were first isolated from Artemisia annua. Artemisinin can alter the pH of the malaria parasite’s digestive vacuole from acidic to alkaline, leading to parasite death. However, the precise mechanism of artemisinin action in changing the digestive vacuole pH has not yet been confirmed. Previous studies reported that artemisinin and its derivatives could kill the parasites through the generation of oxidative stress by the free radicals they generate. This review aims to provide a better understanding of the possible mechanism of action of artemisinin, focusing on the antimalarial activity caused by the generated free radicals through the induction of mutation in the genes that encode the proton pump of the Plasmodium falciparum digestive vacuole.
Keywords: Artemisinin; Free radicals; Proton pump; Plasmodium falciparum; V-type H+-ATPase; VMA gene Back to TOC