Microbiology: Malaria treatment inspired by malaria resistance
Nature Communications
2016년11월9일
An approach to treat malaria that simulates a ‘protective’ state in red blood cells seen in individuals that are resistant to severe forms of the disease is demonstrated in a small mouse study published in Nature Communications this week. The preliminary findings could inspire novel anti-malaria treatments that target host cells, rather than the parasite, which may mitigate the development of treatment resistance.
A subset of the human population carries genetic variations that confer protection from severe malaria. These mutations affect interactions between red blood cells and the intracellular malaria parasite. Michael Lanzer and colleagues find that the mutations in the oxygen-carrying haemoglobin molecule result in an imbalance in oxidizing agents in red blood cells, and this so-called redox imbalance affects how the parasite interacts with these cells. Molecules that artificially induce such a redox imbalance have the same effect. The authors treated six mice with an oxidizing supplement called menadione, which reacts with haemoglobin, and found that symptoms of cerebral malaria are reduced.
Although the results in mice are encouraging, future studies are needed to address safety and efficacy of this approach, as the authors note that pro-oxidative drugs may have adverse effects.
doi: 10.1038/ncomms13401
리서치 하이라이트
-
7월1일
Criminology: Predicting police enforcement bias in major US citiesNature Human Behaviour
-
7월1일
Space health: The path of most resistance could help limit bone loss during spaceflightScientific Reports
-
6월30일
Microbiology: Transmission of gastrointestinal viruses in salivaNature
-
6월29일
COVID-19: Assessing instances of long COVID in UK health dataNature Communications
-
6월24일
Sport science: New wearable sensor to measure neck strain may detect potential concussionScientific Reports
-
6월23일
Scientific community: Women credited less than men in scientific paper authorshipNature