MOUTHWASH MAY TREAT MALARIA.Source: BMJ 2001; 322:316 Triclosan, a substance commonly found in mouthwashes and deodorants, is an effective antimalarial antimalarial /an·ti·ma·lar·i·al/ (-mah-lar´e-al) therapeutically effective against malaria, or an agent with this quality. an·ti·ma·lar·i·al adj. Preventing or relieving the symptoms of malaria. treatment. Researchers in India investigated the use of triclosan as an antimalarial and found that in mice the antimicrobial substance can completely clear the parasite. One of the critical enzymes involved in the synthesis of fatty acids in plants and many bacteria is enoyl-acyl-carrier protein reductase reductase /re·duc·tase/ (-tas) a term used in the names of some of the oxidoreductases, usually specifically those catalyzing reactions important solely for reduction of a metabolite. , or FabI. Since the fatty acid synthesis Fatty acids are formed by the action of Fatty acid synthases from acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA precursors. In humans fatty acids are predominantly formed in the liver and adipose tissue, and mammary glands during lactation. in plants is also implicated in the malaria parasite, but not in mammalian cells, researchers believed that FabI might be a suitable target for antimalarial treatment. The results of their studies show that triclosan inhibited the growth of Plasmodium falciparum in red blood cells Red blood cells Cells that carry hemoglobin (the molecule that transports oxygen) and help remove wastes from tissues throughout the body. Mentioned in: Bone Marrow Transplantation red blood cells in vitro. Subcutaneous triclosan administered to mice infected with Plasmodium berghei (a model for human malaria) cleared the parasite from peripheral blood and prevented death. |
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