PLASMEPSIN INHIBITORS; IS PLA2 ENZYME THE NATURAL INHIBITOR IN HUMANS AGAINST PLASMEPSINS PRODUCED BY MALARIAL PARASITE IN THEIR ERYTHROCYTIC CYCLE?

Abstract

Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Most deaths in malarial infection are caused by P. falciparum because P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae generally cause a milder form of malaria. Within the red blood cells, the parasites multiply further, again asexually, periodically breaking out of their host cells to invade fresh red blood cells. Several such amplification cycles occur. Thus, classical descriptions of waves of fever arise from simultaneous waves of merozoites escaping and infecting red blood cells. Plasmepsin is a hemoglobin-degrading enzyme produced by the plasmodium parasite. It is an aspartic acid protease having 2 aspartic acid residues in the active site. On the other hand phospholipase A2 levels are increased in malarial infection and this may possibly provide protection against the effects of plasmepsin. This review examines the importance of this enzyme and interaction with plasmepsin.