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Supervised versus unsupervised antimalarial treatment with six-dose artemether-lumefantrine: pharmacokinetic and dosage-related findings from a clinical trial in Uganda.

BACKGROUND: A six-dose antimalarial regimen of artemether-lumefantrine (A/L) may soon become one of the most widely used drug combination in Africa, despite possible constraints with adherence and poor absorption due to inadequate nutrition, and a lack of pharmacokinetic and effectiveness data. METHODS: Within a trial of supervised versus unsupervised A/L treatment in a stable Ugandan Plasmodium falciparum transmission setting, plasma lumefantrine concentrations were measured in a subset of patients on day 3 (C [lum]day3) and day 7 (C [lum]day7) post-inclusion. Predictors of lumefantrine concentrations were analysed to show how both C [lum]day7 and the weight-adjusted lumefantrine dose affect 28-day recrudescence and re-infection risks. The implications of these novel findings are discussed in terms of the emergence of lumefantrine-resistant strains in Africa. RESULTS: C [lum]day3 and C [lum]day7 distributions among 241 supervised and 238 unsupervised patients were positively skewed. Unsupervised treatment and decreasing weight-adjusted lumefantrine dose were negatively associated with C [lum]day3. Unsupervised treatment and decreasing age showed strong negative associations with C [lum]day7. Both models were poorly predictive (R-squared < 0.25). There were no recrudescences in either arm, but decreasing lumefantrine dose per Kg resulted in up to 13-fold higher adjusted risks of re-infection. Re-infections occurred only among patients with C [lum]day7 below 400 ng/mL (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Maintaining the present six-dose regimen and ensuring high adherence and intake are essential to maximize the public health benefits of this valuable drug combination.

Adolescent↗

Antimalarial in-vivo activity of bis(9-amino-6-chloro-2-methoxyacridines).

In the fight against malaria, chemotherapy using bisacridines may represent an alternative method to overcoming chloroquine-resistance. Eight bis(9-amino-6-chloro-2-methoxyacridines), in which acridine moieties were linked by polyamines substituted with a side chain, were tested for their in-vivo activity upon mice infected by Plasmodium berghei. Three of the compounds revealed antimalarial activity but no relationship could be deduced from a comparison of in-vitro and in-vivo activities. N-alkylation of the central amino group generated toxicity and, therefore, only compounds N-acylated in this position can be selected as leads.

Aminoacridines↗

Dehatrine, an antimalarial bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid from the Indonesian medicinal plant Beilschmiedia madang, isolated as a mixture of two rotational isomers.

Through bioassay-guided separations of the chemical constituents of the Indonesian medicinal plant Beilschmiedia madang BL. a bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid was obtained as the major antimalarial principle. The physicochemical properties of the alkaloid were consistent with the proposed structure of dehatrine. However, the alkaloid isolated by us was shown to be a mixture of two rotational isomers. The X-ray crystallographic analysis of 1 has shown that two rotamers are incorporated in a single crystal in 1:1 ratio. The complex NMR spectrum of 1 has also been defined as a mixture of two rotamers by extensive use of 2D (COSY and COLOC) techniques. Dehatrine has been shown to significantly inhibit the growth of cultured Plasmodium falciparum K1 strain (cholorquine resistant) with similar activity to quinine.

Alkaloids↗

Thermodynamics of partitioning of the antimalarial drug mefloquine in phospholipid bilayers and bulk solvents.

The antimalarial drug mefloquine binds avidly to phospholipids in biomembranes. The thermodynamics of the partitioning process in dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) bilayers was investigated to give some insight into the drug-phospholipid interaction. Thermodynamic parameters for the partition equilibria were evaluated from the equilibrium partition coefficients measured as a function of temperature. Negative values of delta H and delta S were obtained for the transfer of mefloquine from the aqueous to the gel phase of the phospholipid. The partitioning is enthalpy controlled which suggests that mefloquine interacts strongly with the phospholipid phase. In contrast, the partitioning of mefloquine into the liquid crystalline phase of DMPC is entropy controlled which is typical of a hydrophobic interaction between mefloquine and the aqueous phase. The partitioning of mefloquine into the bulk solvents octanol and hexane were found to be enthalpy and entropy controlled, respectively. The enthalpy dominated partitioning of mefloquine into gel phase DMPC and octanol is attributed to the occurrence of hydrogen bonding and van der Waals interactions between solute and solvent. The flat shape of mefloquine may further aid its interaction with the orderly domains of the lipidic/organic phase. This is apparent from a comparison of the partitioning characteristics of another structurally related but conformationally different molecule, quinine into DMPC and octanol.

1-Octanol↗

Synthesis and antimalarial activity of febrifugine derivatives.

The regioisomers (2a,b) of the piperidine ring of febrifugine (1a) and isofebrifugine (1b) were synthesized from 4-allyl-3-piperidone (5). Reduction of 5 afforded a mixture of the trans and cis alcohols (6a,b) without diastereoselectivity; this result differentiated it from the reduction of 2-allyl-3-piperidone (14). The antimalarial activity of 2a,b and related compounds was tested.

Antimalarials↗

"One-pot" synthesis and antimalarial activity of formamidine derivatives of 4-anilinoquinoline.

Amodiaquine (AQ) is an antimalarial which is effective against chloroquino-resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum but whose clinical use is severely restricted because of associated hepatotoxicity and agranulocytosis. "One-pot" synthesis of formamidines likely to be transformed into AQ derivatives is reported. Compared with AQ, the new compounds were devoid of in vitro cytotoxicity upon human embryonic lung cells and mouse peritoneal macrophages. One showed a potent in vivo activity in mice infected with P berghei. Transformation of this compound by reductive amination led to a new type of AQ derivatives that displayed an in vitro activity similar to that of AQ but did not lead to toxic quinone-imines.

Amidines↗

Cytotoxic and antimalarial prenylated xanthones from Cratoxylum cochinchinense.

A new prenylated xanthone, 5-O-methylcelebixanthone (1), together with six known compounds; celebixanthone (2), 1,3,7-trihydroxy-2,4-di(3-methylbut-2-enyl)xanthone (3), cochinchinone A (4), alpha-mangostin (5), beta-mangostin (6) and cochinchinone C (7) were isolated from roots of Cratoxylum cochinchinense. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. Compounds 2 and 4-7 showed cytotoxic activity against the human lung cancer cell line (NCI-H187) with IC(50) values ranging from 0.65 to 5.2 microg/ml. Compounds 1, 2, 6 and 7 also showed antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum with IC(50) values of 3.2, 4.9, 7.2 and 2.6 microg/ml, respectively.

Animals↗

Studies on the antiplasmodial properties of some South African medicinal plants used as antimalarial remedies in Zulu folk medicine.

The parasite lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) assay method, a recently developed in vitro enzymatic method for evaluating antimalarial compounds, was used to examine the antiplasmodial activities of the aqueous leaf, stem-bark and fruit extracts of some plants used for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of malaria in KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The in vitro antiplasmodial assay was carried out using a chloroquine-sensitive strain of malarial parasite, Plasmodium falciparum D10. A preliminary phytochemical analysis of the plant extracts was carried out using UV spectral analysis and thin-layer chromatography (TLC) to separate the chemical constituents of the extracts. Their chemical components were subsequently identified by treating the TLC plates with various spray reagents. Of the 14 plant extracts investigated, only 10 were found to have IC50 values of 10-50 micrograms/ml. The two most active extracts were Psidium guajava stem-bark extract and Vangueria infausta leaf extract, both of which showed IC50 values of 10-20 micrograms/ml. Phytochemical analysis of these two active plant extracts revealed the presence of anthraquinones, flavonoids, seccoirridoids and terpenoids.

Animals↗

Quantification of antimalarial bisthiazolium compounds and their neutral bioprecursors in plasma by liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry.

BACKGROUND: A new class of antimalarial drugs targeting membrane biogenesis during intraerythrocytic Plasmodium falciparum development has been identified. The bisthiazolium salts T3 and T4 have superior in vitro and in vivo parasite-killing properties and need to be monitored. METHODS: We used a liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry method (positive mode) to quantify two bisthiazolium compounds (T3 and T4) and a related prodrug (TE4c) in human and rat plasma. Verapamil was used as internal standard. Verapamil and the TE4c compound were characterized by protonated molecules at m/z 455.7 and m/z 725.7, respectively. T3 and T4 were detected through two ions [(M2+)/2] at m/z 227.7 and m/z 241.8 and by their adducts with trifluoroacetic acid [M+TFA]+ at m/z 568 and m/z 596, respectively. The sample clean-up procedure involved solid-phase extraction. HPLC separation was performed on a reversed-phase column, using a water-acetonitrile gradient, with both solvents containing TFA. Stability under various conditions was also investigated. RESULTS: The peak-area ratios (drugs/internal standard) were linked to concentrations (6.4-1282 microg/L for T3; 6.5-1309.8 microg/L for T4; 20-2000 microg/L for TE4c) according to a quadratic equation. The accuracy ranged from 85% to 113.1%, and the imprecision from 2.2% to 15%. The mean extraction recoveries were 87%, 98%, and 80% for T3, T4, and TE4c, respectively. The lower limit of quantification was 6.4 mug/L for the two bisthiazolium compounds, whereas it was 20 mug/L for TE4c, the related lipophilic prodrug. CONCLUSION: This highly specific and sensitive method is suitable for analyzing samples collected during preclinical pharmacokinetic studies in rats and to determine the percentage binding of T3 and T4 to human plasma proteins.

Animals↗

Artemisinin drugs: novel antimalarial agents.

Artemisinin and its derivatives, artesunate and artemether, represent a new class of antimicrobial drug with potent activity against Plasmodium falciparum. Although they show excellent efficacy in both severe and uncomplicated malaria, dosage regimens still need to be optimised and pharmacokinetic profiles defined. In the treatment of uncomplicated malaria, the artemisinin drugs should be used in combination with a long acting antimalarial to protect both drugs against the emergence of resistance. In the treatment of severe malaria, parenteral artemether is at least as effective as quinine and is simpler to use. The use of rectal preparations of artesunate and artemisinin at the rural health level will facilitate early initiation of the treatment of falciparum malaria and this may reduce the proportion of patients progressing to severe disease. All of the artemisinin drugs have comparable efficacy; the choice of derivative should be based upon availability, cost and quality of the preparation. Artemisinin, artesunate and artemether are well-tolerated in both adults and children, with no evidence to date of serious clinical toxicity.

Animals↗

QSAR studies on antimalarial 2,4-diamino-6-quinazoline sulfonamides.

The present paper discusses QSAR studies on antimalarial 2,4-diamino-6-quinazoline sulfonamide derivatives using electronic parameters, namely energy of highest occupied molecular orbitals (EH), energy of lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (EL) and charge density (CD). The results have shown that better results are obtained by introducing dummy parameters (indicator parameter), Ip. Excellent results are obtained when all the four parameters (EH, EL, CD and Ip) are used in correlation analysis.

Antimalarials↗

Coartemether (artemether and lumefantrine): an oral antimalarial drug.

Coartemether (Riamet, Coartem, Novartis), a tablet formulation of artemether and lumefantrine, is a well-tolerated, fast-acting and effective blood schizontocidal drug that serves primarily in the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria that is resistant to other antimalarials. Initial clinical-parasitological response relies mainly on the artemether component, while lumefantrine effects radical cure. The absorption of lumefantrine is poor during the fasting state, the normal condition in acutely ill malaria patients, but with return to normal diet it becomes adequate. This highlights the need for an appropriate adjustment of the dose regimen. In the area where Plasmodium falciparum shows the highest degree of multidrug resistance worldwide, the best results (99% cure) were obtained with a six-dose regimen given over 5 days. Extensive cardiological investigations have demonstrated the high cardiac safety of coartemether.

Administration, Oral↗

Is primaquine useful and safe as true exo-erythrocytic merontocidal, hypnozoitocidal and gametocidal antimalarial drug?

The main objective of this paper is to make available in a single document, a sequence of events that have been published on the biology of malaria parasites and their interaction with the human host, looking for arguments for effective and save treatment: what we know and what we would like to know about the effects of primaquine in order to justify its use in clinical and public health practice. The practicioner should be aware that the antimalarial activity, hemolytic and methemoglobinemic side effects, and detoxification of primaquine are all thought to depend on various biotransformation products of the drug. In spite of the universal use during over six decades, their site and mechanism of formation and degradation and their specific biologic effects remain very poorly understood in human beings. The mature gametocytes of P. falciparum are naturally resistant to chloroquine and other blood merontocides, but they are usually eliminated with a single dose of 1.315 mg/kg per os (p.o.) of primaquine phosphate (equivalent to 0.75 mg-base). Rather than empirically, related with relapses frequency, dosage schedules should only be determined through consideration of the kinetics and dynamics of the drug and its effect on sporozoites, pre and exo-erythrocytic merontes, hypnozoites and gametocytes of P. vivax. Where medical care services are not available or not capable to detect glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenese- (G-6-PD) deficiencies and deleterious effects of the drug, we recommend not to use primaquine. Both, P. vivax primary clinical attack and P. vivax relapses, as and when they occur should be treated with a course of 10 mg/kg chloroquine-base p.o. Prevention of relapses is probably related to strain characteristics of P. vivax hypnozoites populations involved. If well informed and qualified medical care workers decide to use primaquine in the absence of enzime deficiencies and are able to follow-up the clinical, toxicological and parasitic results, a daily dose of 0.25 mg/kg primaquine-base during 14 days could be administered safety for possible prevention of P. vivax relapses.

Animals↗

In vitro evaluation of erythromycin in chloroquine resistant brazilian P. falciparum freshly isolates: modulating effect and antimalarial activity evidence.

Erythromycin, a reversal agent in multidrug-resistant cancer, was assayed in chloroquine resistance modulation. The in vitro microtechnique for drug susceptibility was employed using two freshly isolates of Plasmodium falciparum from North of Brazil. The antimalarial effect of the drug was confirmed, with an IC50 estimates near the usual antimicrobial therapy concentration, and a significant statistical modulating action was observed for one isolate.

Animals↗

[The evolution of in-vitro resistance in Plasmodium falciparum to antimalarials in a gold-prospecting area in the state of Amapá between 1983 and 199)].

This study evaluates the sensitivity of P. falciparum in vitro to antimalarial drugs in an area of gold mining exploration in Amapá State during the period of 1983 to 1990. The following tests were done, 75 in vitro studies with chloroquine and quinine, 74 with amodiaquine and 76 with mefloquine. The results showed 81% of resistance to chloroquine and 27% to amodiaquine while resistant strains to quinine and mefloquine were found. Also for these two quinolinomethanols a loss of sensitivity was noticed in the period of study. An association between resistance to chloroquine and decrease of sensitivity to quinine was also evident with the same strains.

Animals↗

[The evolution over time of the in-vitro resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to antimalarial drugs in 2 areas of the Brazilian Amazonia with distinct socioeconomic and geographic characteristics].

We evaluated the temporal progression of in vitro P. falciparum resistance to chloroquine, amodiaquine, quinine and mefloquine in two areas with distinct socioeconomical and geographical characteristics: Lourenço, in Amapá state and Paragominas, in Pará state. The former region is essentially an "open" gold mining camp, whereas the latter is one currently undergoing a colonization settlement process, in addition to expanding economical activities which mainly include cattle raising and wood exploitation. Our results show high resistance rates to chloroquine in the two study areas: 79.8% and 68.4% in Lourenço and Paragominas, respectively. Variations in the response of P. falciparum to both amodiaquine and quinine were recorded throughout the study period. On the other hand, no mefloquine P. falciparum resistant strains could be identified, despite the tact we had noted a decrease in sensitivity to this antimalarial drug throughout the study period.

Adolescent↗

Preliminary assessment of medicinal plants used as antimalarials in the southeastern Venezuelan Amazon.

Eighteen species of medicinal plants used in the treatment of malaria in Bolívar State, Venezuela were recorded and they belonged to Compositae, Meliaceae, Anacardiaceae, Bixaceae, Boraginaceae, Caricaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Leguminosae, Myrtaceae, Phytolaccaceae, Plantaginaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Solanaceae and Verbenaceae families. Antimalarial plant activities have been linked to a range of compounds including anthroquinones, berberine, flavonoids, limonoids, naphthquinones, sesquiterpenes, quassinoids, indol and quinoline alkaloids.

Antimalarials↗

Perspective for the production of antimalarial drugs in Brazil.

There appears to be no chemical manufacture of antimalarial drugs in Brazil. Technology at the laboratory process level has been developed for chloroquine, mefloquine, pyrimethamine and cycloguanil, but not perfected nor scaled-up, largely for economic reasons and market uncertainty. Development of primaquine has been contracted but it will run into the same difficulty. Manufacturing capacity for sulfadoxine was registered in the SDI by Roche. A project to produce artemisinine and its derivatives is under way at UNICAMP-CPQBA but is hampered by low content in the plant. Proguanil could be produced easily, but apparently no attempt has been made to do so. Quinine is imported on a large scale mostly for soft-drink production. Since malarial treatment falls largely within the responsibility of the Government health authorities, manufacture of drugs in Brazil will depend on an assured medium-term purchase order made to a potential local manufacturer, since competition in the world market is scarcely viable at the present moment.

Antimalarials↗