New drugs prevent malaria effectively

International scientists have discovered a family of compounds that create a new generation of antimalarial drugs, which not only eliminates symptoms but also prevents this deadly disease.

In the study published in Science Express , TS. Elizabeth Winzeler and colleagues describe some compounds that are more effective than currently marketed drugs.

Most drugs on the market today only work when the malaria parasite enters the blood, and those that do not protect the liver cause many side effects. The new generation of compounds works in both the liver and the blood.

Plasmodium parasites spread to people through mosquito bites. 30 minutes after this parasite-carrying mosquito burns, the parasite enters the liver and develops for 8 days without causing any symptoms. In some cases, parasites are even hidden in the liver and persist for months to years.

When this phase ends, the parasite leaves the liver and infects blood cells to multiply. They secrete toxins that can make people sick with fever, chills, headaches and other symptoms that can lead to death.

Researchers have identified compounds related to imidazolopiperazine chemicals from exploiting data about the active substances in both the liver and blood.

The imidazolopiperazine family is not associated with drugs for malaria today. When these compounds are tested in mice, they can protect the mice's liver completely immune to malaria parasites, and the effectiveness of protecting blood cells is also higher than current drugs.

Despite many global efforts to fight malaria, the disease is still widespread in many parts of the world. According to the World Health Organization, about 225 million people were infected with malaria only in 2009, and nearly 800,000 of them died. Malaria is most common in the poorest and most vulnerable areas such as Asia, Africa and the Americas.