Phospholipid membranes are thought to be one of the main inducers of hemozoin formation in Plasmodia and other blood-feeding parasites. The "membrane surrounding hemozoin" has been observed in infected cells but has not been observed in in vitro experiments. This study focused on observing the association of phospholipid membranes and synthetic β-hematin, which is chemically identical to hemozo...

Current assays for screening new antimalarials need initiators of beta-hematin formation that require laborious preparation, special devices, and substrates. In this study, based on reduction of heme absorption in beta-hematin formation, we developed a simple colorimetric assay using Tween 20 as an initiator and a microplate reader for high-throughput screening of inhibitors of beta-hematin for...

The ferriprotoporphyrin IX (FP) molecules released by intraerythrocytic malaria parasites during hemoglobin digestion are converted to beta-hematin and are stored in the parasites' food vacuoles. It has been demonstrated in cell-free medium that the incorporation of FP into beta-hematin under physiological conditions requires a catalyst from parasite lysates or pre-formed beta-hematin. In the p...

During their pathogenic blood stage, malaria parasites invade host erythrocytes where they digest hemoglobin. In the process, they release large quantities of potentially toxic hematin, which they convert to hemozoin. This is an insoluble microcrystalline product. The quinoline antimalarials, such as chloroquine form complexes with hematin and inhibit the formation of synthetic hemozoin (β-hema...

the formation of hemozoin (malaria pigment) has been proposed as an ideal drug target for antimalarial screening programs. in this study, we used an improved, cost-effective and high-throughput spectrophotometric assay to screen plant extracts for finding novel antimalarial plant sources. fifteen extracts with different polarity from three iranian artemisia species, a. ciniformis, a. biennis an...

Pyronaridine, 2-methoxy-7-chloro-10[3',5'-bis(pyrrolidinyl-1-methyl-)4'hydroxyphenyl]aminobenzyl-(b)-1,5-naphthyridine, a new Mannich base schizontocide originally developed in China and structurally related to the aminoacridine drug quinacrine, is currently undergoing clinical testing. We now show that pyronaridine targets hematin, as demonstrated by its ability to inhibit in vitro beta-hemati...

The mechanism of action of artemisinin antimalarials may be ascribed to C-centered radicals that alkylate biomolecules or to the peroxide moiety, which inhibits a specific, as yet undefined, target (4). It is also proposed that artemisinins kill the parasite through inhibition of hemozoin formation, thereby allowing buildup of toxic heme monomer (1, 2, 5). Artemisinin and dihydroartemisinin may...

Background: β-Hematin (Hemozoin) was synthised inside human erythrocyte by malaria parasite. The parasite avoids the toxic effects by polymerizing heme molecules into insoluble crystalline β-Hematin. C. botrys and A. annua used for the treatment of diseases like malaria, hepatitis, cancers, and inflammations. Objective: Determine of antimalarial and anti-protozoa effects of A. anuuae and C. bo...

malaria as one of the most recurrent infectious diseases caused by parasites of the genus plasmodium, kills several hundred thousand people especially in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world annually. terpenoids have served as the lead compounds to develop new antimalarial agents. the aromatic monoterpenoid, cuminaldehyde, isolated from the fruits of buniumpersicum was evaluated fo...

The emergence of drug resistant strains of Plasmodium spp. creates a critical need for the development of novel antimalarials. Formation of hemozoin, a crystalline heme detoxification process vital to parasite survival serves as an important drug target. The quinoline antimalarials including chloroquine and amodiaquine owe their antimalarial activity to inhibition of hemozoin formation. Though ...