New Compound Isolated From Madagascan Plant Shows Activity Against Malaria

Main Category: Tropical Diseases
Article Date: 02 Jan 2007 - 0:00 PDT

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Two papers in this week's PLoS Medicine suggest possible new avenues of treatment against malaria. In the first paper, researchers led by Dominique Mazier from the Laboratory INSERM/ University Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, isolated a novel compound, tazopsine, from a plant traditionally used against malaria in Madagascar and showed it to be active against the liver stages of human and mouse malaria.

One of its semisynthetic derivatives, NCP-tazopsine, completely protected mice from a challenge with malarial parasites, and was specifically active against the liver stage, but inactive against the blood forms of the malaria parasite.

This unique specificity in an antimalarial drug makes the development of drug resistance much less likely, and suggests that this compound is a promising new candidate for anti-malarial prophylaxis.

"A plant-derived mor phinan as a novel lead compound active against malaria liver stages"
Carraz M, Jossang A, Franetich JF, Siau A, Ciceron L, et al
(2006) PLoS Med 3(12): e513.
Link to article online

About PLoS Medicine

PLoS Medicine is an open access, freely available international medical journal. It publishes original research that enhances our understanding of human health and disease, together with commentary and analysis of important global health issues. For more information, visit http://www.plosmedicine.org

About the Public Library of Science

The Public Library of Science (PLoS) is a non-profit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a freely available public resource. For more information, visit http://www.plos.org

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