TY - JOUR
T1 - Artemisone effective against murine cerebral malaria
AU - Waknine-Grinberg, Judith H.
AU - Hunt, Nicholas
AU - Bentura-Marciano, Annael
AU - McQuillan, James A.
AU - Chan, Ho Wai
AU - Chan, Wing Chi
AU - Barenholz, Yechezkel
AU - Haynes, Richard K.
AU - Golenser, Jacob
N1 - Funding Information:
This work at The Hebrew University was supported by grants from The Gretel B. Bloch Charitable Trust, The Sir Zelman Cowen Universities Fund, the Barenholz Fund and the Israel Science Foundation. Work at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) was carried out in the Open Laboratory of Chemical Biology of the Institute of Molecular Technology for Drug Discovery and Synthesis with financial support from the Government of the HKSAR University Grants Committee Areas of Excellence Fund, Projects No. AoE P/10-01/01-02-I, AOE/P-10/01-2-II and the University Grants Council Grants No. HKUST 6493/06 M and 600507. The work at the University of Sydney was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and the Sir Zelman Cowen Universities Fund.
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - Background. Artemisinins are the newest class of drug approved for malaria treatment. Due to their unique mechanism of action, rapid effect on Plasmodium, and high efficacy in vivo, artemisinins have become essential components of malaria treatment. Administration of artemisinin derivatives in combination with other anti-plasmodials has become the first-line treatment for uncomplicated falciparum malaria. However, their efficiency in cases of cerebral malaria (CM) remains to be determined. Methods. The efficacy of several artemisinin derivatives for treatment of experimental CM was evaluated in ICR or C57BL/6 mice infected by Plasmodium berghei ANKA. Both mouse strains serve as murine models for CM. Results. Artemisone was the most efficient drug tested, and could prevent death even when administered at relatively late stages of cerebral pathogenesis. No parasite resistance to artemisone was detected in recrudescence. Co-administration of artemisone together with chloroquine was more effective than monotherapy with either drug, and led to complete cure. Artemiside was even more effective than artemisone, but this substance has yet to be submitted to preclinical toxicological evaluation. Conclusions. Altogether, the results support the use of artemisone for combined therapy of CM.
AB - Background. Artemisinins are the newest class of drug approved for malaria treatment. Due to their unique mechanism of action, rapid effect on Plasmodium, and high efficacy in vivo, artemisinins have become essential components of malaria treatment. Administration of artemisinin derivatives in combination with other anti-plasmodials has become the first-line treatment for uncomplicated falciparum malaria. However, their efficiency in cases of cerebral malaria (CM) remains to be determined. Methods. The efficacy of several artemisinin derivatives for treatment of experimental CM was evaluated in ICR or C57BL/6 mice infected by Plasmodium berghei ANKA. Both mouse strains serve as murine models for CM. Results. Artemisone was the most efficient drug tested, and could prevent death even when administered at relatively late stages of cerebral pathogenesis. No parasite resistance to artemisone was detected in recrudescence. Co-administration of artemisone together with chloroquine was more effective than monotherapy with either drug, and led to complete cure. Artemiside was even more effective than artemisone, but this substance has yet to be submitted to preclinical toxicological evaluation. Conclusions. Altogether, the results support the use of artemisone for combined therapy of CM.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77955301642&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=77955301642&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/1475-2875-9-227
DO - 10.1186/1475-2875-9-227
M3 - Article
C2 - 20691118
AN - SCOPUS:77955301642
SN - 1475-2875
VL - 9
JO - Malaria Journal
JF - Malaria Journal
IS - 1
M1 - 227
ER -
