Treating Cerebral Malaria
Colorized electron micrograph showing malaria parasite (right, blue) attaching to a human red blood cell. The inset shows a detail of the attachment point at higher magnification. Credit: NIAID
In 2017, the estimated number of malaria deaths stood at 435,000. Malaria can become severe and life threatening, especially in young children. One of the deadliest complications of Plasmodium falciparum malaria infection in humans is cerebral malaria (HCM), which is characterized by the onset of severe neurological signs such as altered consciousness, seizures, and coma. There is an urgent need for the development of effective adjunctive therapies that can be used in conjunction with antimalarial drugs to treat children with HCM.
NIAID researchers have discovered that glutamine antagonists can be used to treat mice with experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) in conjunction with antimalarials. It was found that glutamine antagonist 6-diazo-5-L-norleucine (DON) successfully restored blood-brain barrier integrity and decreased brain swelling in ECM mice. This suggests that glutamine antagonists may be effective in treating neurological damage in HCM patients.
Read more about this exciting licensing opportunity: https://www.ott.nih.gov/
.png)
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario