Two copper nanohybrid solids have shown promise in inhibiting the parasite that triggers malignant malaria1. The nanosolids could be potential drug candidates to fight malignant malaria.
To find a way around malaria resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum, researchers have zeroed in on plasmepsin, a class of enzymes produced by the malaria parasite that degrade human haemoglobin to usher in malaria.
The researchers designed copper nanohybrid solids of size ranges 5-10 and 60-70 nm. When evaluated against a chloroquine-sensitive isolate of Plasmodium falciparum, the nanohybrids disrupted the activity of plasmepsin II, believed to be a novel drug target.
Both nanohybrids were non-toxic against human liver cancer cells and exhibit anti-malarial activities similar to the standard drug chloroquine, the researchers say.
The authors of this work are from: Department of chemistry, University of Delhi; Protein biochemistry division, National Institute of Malaria Research (ICMR); Department of biochemistry, All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and Department of chemistry, N. R. E. C. College, Khurja, India.
