Heme is a key metabolic factor in all life. Malaria parasite has de novo heme-biosynthetic pathway, however the growth and development of parasite depend on the hemoglobin-derived heme metabolism process during the intraerythrocytic stages, such as the ingestion and degradation of hemoglobin in the food vacuole. The hemoglobin metabolism in the food vesicles mainly includes four aspects: hemoglobin transport and intake, hemoglobin enzymolysis to produce heme, heme polymerization into malarial pigment, and heme transport via the food vacuole. The potential mechanisms of antimalarial drugs,such as chloroquine, artemisinin and atovaquone may be related to this process. The main four aspects of this metabolic process, key metabolic enzymes, effects of antimalarial drugs on the process and their potential mechanism of action would be summarized in this paper, providing ideas for rational use and mechanism exploration of similar drugs.
Keywords: antimalarials; food vacuole; heme; metabolism; plasmodium.
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