ISSN 2736-173X
African Journal of Malaria and Tropical Diseases ISSN 4123-0981 Vol. 6 (2), pp. 382-393, February, 2018. © International Scholars Journals
Review
A study of artemisinin derivatives for the treatment of plasmodium falciparum malaria
Ebiamadon Andi Brisibe1,2*, Edak A. Uyoh1, Fraideh Brisibe3, Pedro M. Magalhäes4 and Jorge F. S. Ferreira5
1Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria.
2Molecular Bio/Sciences Limited, 124 MCC Road, Calabar, Nigeria.
3Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of
Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Nigeria.
4Chemical, Biological and Agricultural Pluridisciplinary Research Center (CPQBA), University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
5USDA, ARS, Appalachian Farming System Research Center, 1224 Airport Road, Beaver, West Virginia 25813, USA
*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected].
Accepted 03 May, 2017
Abstract
Use of the conventional quinoline- and sulphanamide-based drugs for the symptomatic treatment of malaria is gradually being replaced by artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) due to increasing resistance by the Plasmodium parasite. This development has drastically increased artemisinin demand worldwide, and Artemisia annua L. is currently the only commercial source for the supply of this vital antimalarial drug to the international market. Recent advances, however, demonstrate that the production of isoprenoid precursors in microorganisms is a feasible complementary strategy that would help reduce artemisinin cost in the future. The key genes encoding for enzymes regulating the biosynthesis of artemisinin in planta are fully understood to enable metabolic engineering of the pathway, and results from pilot genetic engineering studies in microbial strains thus far are very inspiring. This review, therefore, explores the current status of artemisinin derived drugs against malaria and highlights some implications of crop agronomy, biotechnology and solvent extraction strategies in enhancing the total yield of artemisinin for the production of ACTs, which are responsible for saving the lives of countless numbers of patients in malaria-stricken societies and are currently in very high demand, especially in Africa.
Key words: Artemisia annua, ACTs, biotechnology, malaria, Plasmodium spp.