Antimalarial activity of synthetic analogues of distamycin

Pharmacology & Therapeutics
P Lombardi, A Crisanti

Abstract

Malaria, one of the most serious diseases transmitted by arthropods, is largely present in tropical and even temperate zones in endemic or epidemic form. More than 40% of the world's population lives in areas at risk for exposure, and the World Health Organization reports that approximately 300 million people are affected by the infection (mostly caused by the species Plasmodium falciparum), with 1-2 million deaths per year. These data, and the fact that malaria is becoming increasingly refractory to treatment through resistance of the parasite to antimalarial agents currently in use, e.g., chloroquine, emphasize the need to develop new drugs. The well-known antiparasitic activity of oligopyrrolamidine natural products, such as distamycin and netropsin, suggested the antimalarial evaluation of related compounds obtained by new chemical modifications. Besides possessing antiviral and antitumoural properties, distamycin exhibits interesting in vitro activity against P. falciparum. Unfortunately, the high toxicity associated with this product precludes its development as a drug. However, some synthetic analogues of distamycin proved to be highly active against chloroquine-sensitive and -resistant strains of P. falciparum, besides ...Continue Reading

References

Mar 1, 1985·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·M L KopkaR E Dickerson
May 1, 1985·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·R S Youngquist, P B Dervan
Aug 1, 1988·Experimental Parasitology·J L Weber
Sep 11, 1986·Nucleic Acids Research·C M LowM J Waring
Jun 1, 1983·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·M J LaneJ N Vournakis
Mar 1, 1993·Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology·H GinsburgD H Williamson
May 1, 1953·Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine·F M SCHABELH E SKIPPER
Sep 5, 1964·Nature·F ARCAMONEA PIRELLI

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Aug 7, 2003·Journal of Ethnopharmacology·Joseph O AdebayoBernard U Enaibe
Feb 16, 2008·The Journal of Infectious Diseases·Stephanie K YanowTerry W Spithill
Nov 12, 2003·Biochemical Pharmacology·Curtis Robert Chong, David Joseph Sullivan
May 26, 2007·Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology·Jan M WoynarowskiHagai Ginsburg
Aug 2, 2003·Chemistry & Biology·Nicholas J MariniEldon E Baird
Apr 24, 2003·Medicinal Research Reviews·Mei-Lin Go
Apr 25, 2001·Journal of Addictive Diseases·T AllhoffM Gastpar

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Antimalarial Agents (ASM)

Antimalarial agents, also known as antimalarials, are designed to prevent or cure malaria. Discover the latest research on antimalarial agents here.

Antivirals

Antivirals are medications that are used specifically for treating viral infections. Discover the latest research on antivirals here.

Antivirals (ASM)

Antivirals are medications that are used specifically for treating viral infections. Discover the latest research on antivirals here.

Antimalarial Agents

Antimalarial agents, also known as antimalarials, are designed to prevent or cure malaria. Discover the latest research on antimalarial agents here.

Antiparasitics

Antiparasitics are medications which are indicated for the treatment of parasitic diseases. Discover the latest research on antiparasitics here.