Natural Remedies in the Fight Against Parasites

parasite. Due to the seemingly dispensable role of FV PMs in parasite growth and survival, the

focus of PM‐targeted drug development is shifting towards non‐FV PMs. Selective inhibitors

of PM5 have been developed and shown strong inhibition potency to parasite growth.

On the other hand, our knowledge on PMs is still quite limited and much needs to be clari‐

fied and explored in the future studies. For example, what is the biological meaning of the

presence of four FV PM paralogs in P. falciparum? What do the FV PM inhibitors authenti‐

cally target to exert their anti‐parasitic activity? What are other possible roles of PM5 than

host‐targeted protein export? What are the functions of PMs 6‐10, and can these enzymes be

antimalarial drug targets? What is the likelihood that PMs are used as immunogens in active

immunization and that antibodies directed against PMs are used in passive immunization

to protect hosts from malaria parasite infection? Successful PM‐targeted drug development

replies on a comprehensive understanding of this enzyme family.

List of abbreviations

ACTs artemisinin‐based combination therapies

ALLN N‐acetyl‐Leu‐Leu‐norleucinal

AN artemisinin

BFA brefeldin A

Chr. chromosome

CQ chloroquine

(k)Da (kilo‐)dalton

DDT dichloro‐diphenyltrichloroethane

E. coli Escherichia coli

E‐64 L‐3‐carboxy‐2,3‐trans‐epoxypropionyl‐leucylamido(4‐guanidino)butane

EC 50 half maximal effective concentration

ECM experimental cerebral malaria

EM electron microscopy

ER endoplasmic reticulum

FP falcipain

FV food vacuole

GFP green fluorescence protein

HAP Histo‐Aspartic Proteinase

Hb hemoglobin

hBACE‐1 human β‐secretase 1

hcatD human cathepsin D

202 Natural Remedies in the Fight Against Parasites