Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 7, 2025

Ookluc: A Plasmodium berghei Line for Identifying Transmission-blocking Compounds
Published on: July 11, 2025
Multipurpose Drugs Active Against Both Plasmodium spp. and Microorganisms: Potential Application for New Drug
Takuro Endo1, Hitoshi Takemae2, Indu Sharma3
1Laboratory of Veterinary Infectious Diseases, Cooperative Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract:
Malaria, a disease caused by the protozoan parasites Plasmodium spp., is still causing serious problems in endemic regions in the world. Although the WHO recommends artemisinin combination therapies for the treatment of malaria patients, the emergence of artemisinin-resistant parasites has become a serious issue and underscores the need for the development of new antimalarial drugs. On the other hand, new and re-emergences of infectious diseases, such as the influenza pandemic, Ebola virus disease, and COVID-19, are urging the world to develop effective chemotherapeutic agents against the causative viruses, which are not achieved to the desired level yet. In this review article, we describe existing drugs which are active against both Plasmodium spp. and microorganisms including viruses, bacteria, and fungi. We also focus on the current knowledge about the mechanism of actions of these drugs. Our major aims of this article are to describe examples of drugs that kill both Plasmodium parasites and other microbes and to provide valuable information to help find new ideas for developing novel drugs, rather than merely augmenting already existing drug repurposing efforts.
More Related Videos
05:28Standard Membrane Feeding Assay for the Detection of Plasmodium falciparum Infection in Anopheles Mosquito Vectors
Published on: May 12, 2022
09:13Author Spotlight: Identifying Compensatory Pathways in Malaria Parasites Containing Hypomorphic Allele of Essential Protein Kinases
Published on: November 22, 2024
Related Concept Videos
Combined Effects of Drugs: Synergism
Such synergistic combinations...
Overview of Protists
Targets for Drug Action: Overview
Receptors are either membrane-spanning or intracellular proteins, which upon binding a ligand, get activated and transmit the signal downstream to elicit a response. Drugs bind receptors, either mimicking the action of endogenous ligands or blocking the receptor activity to bring about a modified response. Nearly 35% of approved drugs target the G...
Diversity of Protists II
Principles of Drug Action
Drugs can be agonists or antagonists. Like the endogenous ligands, agonists always bind and activate the target to produce a cellular response. Agonist binding induces a conformational change which in turn...
Microorganisms in Medicine and Therapeutics