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Scientists have found a way to boost the efficacy of the world’s most powerful antimalarial drug with the help of chemotherapy medicines. Scientists from the University of Melbourne and the Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda have discovered that antimalarial drug artemisinin works through a “double whammy” attack on the deadly parasite.
The drug damages proteins in malaria parasites and clogs the parasite’s waste disposal system, known as the proteasome. According to University of Melbourne malaria researcher Leann Tilley, the double whammy effect means that combining artemisinin with an anti-cancer drug that also targets the proteasome, complements the activity of artemisinin, and can restore activity against artemisinin-resistant parasites.
Malaria claims the lives of about 450,000 people worldwide every year; artemisinin resistance has developed in South-East Asia, with fears it will soon reach Africa. The parasite’s proteasome is like a shredder that chews up damaged or used-up proteins; reating malaria parasites with artemisinin generates a lot of damaged proteins.
Artemisinin and proteasome inhibitors thus can work together to jam the recycling system. Blockage of the proteasome causes an accumulation of proteins that are marked with a “kiss of death” modification. When these damaged proteins build up, they stress the parasite and soon lead to cell death.