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Malaria and iron: history and review

Eugene D Weinberg1, Jym Moon

  • 1Department of Biology and Program in Medical Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA.

Drug Metabolism Reviews
|September 22, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Malaria parasites need iron to grow. New therapies could target iron, potentially combining drugs that need iron with those that remove it to fight infection.

Area of Science:

  • * Microbiology and Parasitology
  • * Infectious Disease Therapeutics
  • * Host-Pathogen Interactions

Background:

  • * Pathogens like protozoa, fungi, and bacteria require host iron for growth and infection.
  • * Host organisms possess iron-withholding defense mechanisms to combat infections.
  • * Targeting these iron-withholding systems presents a promising therapeutic strategy.

Observation:

  • * Iron is a critical factor in pathogen survival and host defense.
  • * Existing and novel antimalarial drugs exhibit varied interactions with iron.
  • * Artemisinins are iron-requiring antimalarial agents.

Findings:

  • * Antimalarial drug mechanisms are explored concerning their iron dependency or iron-withdrawing properties.
  • * Compounds that chelate (withdraw) iron are investigated as a class of antimalarial agents.
  • * Synergistic effects may arise from combining iron-withdrawing agents with iron-requiring drugs like artemisinins.

Implications:

  • * Developing novel antimalarial therapies by modulating iron availability is a viable strategy.
  • * Sequential administration of iron-withdrawing compounds and artemisinins could offer a new approach to malarial chemotherapy.
  • * Understanding iron's role in malaria pathogenesis can lead to innovative treatment paradigms.

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