Each year, infections with the protozoan parasite Plasmodium falciparum kill 1 million people, mostly children in Africa. Intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) reduces the incidence of malaria and aims to prevent mortality in infants, children, and pregnant women. There is contradictory evidence as to whether this strategy may generate additional protection...

Malaria parasite metabolizes hemoglobin and detoxifies the resulting toxic ferriprotoporphyrin IX by polymerization into a crystal insoluble pigment, known as hemozoin. A polymer identical to hemozoin, β-hematin, can be obtained in vitro from hematin at acidic pH. Quinoline-containing antimalarials (e.g. chloroquine) inhibit the formation of polymer. Thus, heme polymerization is an essensial an...

The population at risk of developing malaria in the Asian region is 1.4 billion people. Nine countries are high where highest proportion achieved by India 89%, Myanmar 2% and Indonesia 7%. Inhibition heme polymerization an initial screening test for antimalarial activity. Bidara leaves (Ziziphus mauritiana L.) were selected based on content secondary metabolites containing alkaloids. Plant comp...