Medical Doctor, School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires. Argentina. 1974. Ph.D., School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires. Argentina. 1981. Post-doctoral Fellow, Dr. Walter Colli’ s Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, Brazil 1980-1984. (Support: CONICET, Argentina and CNPq, Brazil) Position: Full Professor, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Science, University of São Paulo, Brazil.
Part of the book: Radioisotopes
A fact which favors the increase in morbidity and mortality of malaria cases in the world is the resistance to chemotherapeutic agents that the parasite presents. Therefore, it is necessary to identify new potential targets specific to the parasite in order to be able to perform a rational planning. One target for the evaluation of potential antimalarial compounds is isoprenoid synthesis, which occurs via the 2-C-methyl-d -erythritol-4-phosphate pathway in Plasmodium falciparum. Several intermediaries and final products of this pathway were identified in the parasite and lead us to the conclusion that it is different from the vertebrate host. In this chapter, we describe the effect of some monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes on Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium berghei as potential antimalarial drugs.
Part of the book: Terpenes and Terpenoids