Plasmodial sugar transporters as anti-malarial drug targets and comparisons with other protozoa

Malaria Journal

Review

Elvira T Derbyshire¹  Henry M Staines¹  Sanjeev Krishna¹  Ksenija Slavic² 

[1] Centre for Infection, Division of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, St. George's, University of London, Cranmer Terrace, SW17 0RE, London, UK;Centre for Infection, Division of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, St. George's, University of London, Cranmer Terrace, SW17 0RE, London, UK;Centre for Parasitic Zoonoses, Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, Dr. Subotica 4, 11129, Belgrade, Serbia;

关键词: Malaria;    Artesunate;    Cutaneous Leishmaniasis;    Babesia;    Blood Stage;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1475-2875-10-165

 received in 2011-04-03, accepted in 2011-06-15,  发布年份 2011

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Glucose is the primary source of energy and a key substrate for most cells. Inhibition of cellular glucose uptake (the first step in its utilization) has, therefore, received attention as a potential therapeutic strategy to treat various unrelated diseases including malaria and cancers. For malaria, blood forms of parasites rely almost entirely on glycolysis for energy production and, without energy stores, they are dependent on the constant uptake of glucose. Plasmodium falciparum is the most dangerous human malarial parasite and its hexose transporter has been identified as being the major glucose transporter. In this review, recent progress regarding the validation and development of the P. falciparum hexose transporter as a drug target is described, highlighting the importance of robust target validation through both chemical and genetic methods. Therapeutic targeting potential of hexose transporters of other protozoan pathogens is also reviewed and discussed.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Slavic et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2011