Study of the Physical and Chemical Properties Hemozoin (Malaria Pigment) Formed in the Presence of Antimalaric Drugs

Malaria, a disease transmitted by the bite of mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles, is caused by the parasite Plasmodium. This illness persists as a significant public health issue. According to the World Malaria Report 2023, the global burden of malaria is estimated to be around 249 million reported cases. To date, there are six species of Plasmodium that affect humans, with P. vivax and P. falciparum being the most relevant. P. vivax is widely distributed, mainly occurring in America, while P. falcipaum is the species that causes the highest number of complications and deaths. During the life cycle of Plasmodium in the human host, there is a phase where the parasite resides within red blood cells, closely linked to the symptoms of malaria. In this stage, Plasmodium breaks down hemoglobin, and through various processes, it forms a crystal known as hemozoin, also referred to as the malaria pigment. It is well recognized that the formation of hemozoin in the digestive vacuole of the Plasmodium parasite is the primary mechanism for detoxifying heme in malaria parasites. This process is also the target of antimalarial drugs, derived from both quinolines and artemisinin. It is important to mention that this malarial pigment, hemozoin, has a synthetic analog known as β-hematin. Therefore, gaining an understanding of the formation, nucleation, and growth of hemozoin crystals, as well as their inhibition by these antimalarial drugs, provides valuable insights in the quest for effective malaria strategies. These studies have addressed both natural and synthetic samples, exploring physical and chemical properties such as morphology, structure, and magnetism. Additionally, the kinetics associated with these formation processes are investigated for a more comprehensive understanding.

• Autores: Herrera Cortés, Leidy Julieth
• Tipo de recurso: Doctoral thesis
• Fecha de publicación: 2024
• Institución: Universidad de Antioquia
• Repositorio: Repositorio UdeA
• Idioma: eng
• OAI Identifier: oai:bibliotecadigital.udea.edu.co:10495/45953
• Acceso en línea: https://hdl.handle.net/10495/45953
• Palabra clave: Malaria - Quimioterapia; Malaria - Chemotherapy; Resistencia a los medicamentos en microorganismos; Drug resistance in microorganisms; Hemozoin; Antimaláricos; Antimalarials; Plasmodium; Biomineralización; Biomineralization; Quinolina; Quinolines; http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_5995; http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_d1551ca5; http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_6411; http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh93002305; http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85039709; https://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D000962; http://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/C020753; ODS 3: Salud y bienestar. Garantizar una vida sana y promover el bienestar de todos a todas las edades
• Rights: openAccess
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/