BHUBANESWAR: In a significant development, a group of scientists of Institute of Life Sciences (ILS) has discovered therapeutic interventions which can prevent cerebral and severe malaria mortality.
The scientists led by Dr Viswanathan Arun Nagaraj claimed griseofulvin, an antifungal drug, with the existing frontline artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) would help prevent malaria mortality. ACT is recommended for the treatment of plasmodium falciparum malaria.
Malaria remains a major global health concern causing about 24.1 crore cases and 6.27 lakh deaths globally in 2022. The most vulnerable populations include children under five years of age and pregnant women. Despite the intense global efforts to eliminate malaria, there is no significant reduction in the global incidence. The situation is further worsened by the emergence of drug resistance in parasites and insecticide resistance in mosquitoes.
Falciparum malaria is the deadliest one responsible for more than 90 per cent (pc) of infections and deaths. The mortality due to cerebral and severe malaria occurs despite treating the patients with WHO-recommended artemisinin-based combination therapies.
Since the fatality due to cerebral malaria remains high despite the parasite clearance, the researchers said, molecular mechanisms underlying cerebral malaria pathogenesis needed to be understood for developing adjunct therapies.
A scientist, who is part of the research group, said, “We have discovered a novel role for parasite heme in disease severity. Parasites lacking the ability to make heme generate less hemozoin, and do not cause cerebral and severe malaria in animals,” he said.
The scientists found that targeting parasite heme with griseofulvin prevents cerebral and severe malaria. Griseofulvin is a less-expensive and safe drug that is widely used to treat fungal infections in children and adults. “Repurposing griseofulvin as an adjunct drug for malaria along with the existing ACT would help prevent malaria mortality,” they added.
Their study has been published in international peer-reviewed research journal Nature. ILS has also filed Indian and international patents. While the therapeutic intervention has been successful in mice models, ILS is now planning to perform clinical trials in malaria-infected humans.