Malaria transmission-blocking drugs: implications and future perspectives

Future Med Chem. 2020 Jun;12(11):1071-1101. doi: 10.4155/fmc-2020-0026. Epub 2020 May 7.

Abstract

As the world gets closer to eliminating malaria, the scientific community worldwide has begun to realize the importance of malaria transmission-blocking interventions. The onus of breaking the life cycle of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum predominantly rests upon transmission-blocking drugs because of emerging resistance to commonly used schizonticides and insecticides. This third part of our review series on malaria transmission-blocking entails transmission-blocking potential of preclinical transmission-blocking antimalarials and other non-malaria drugs/experimental compounds that are not in clinical or preclinical development for malaria but possess transmission-blocking potential. Collective analysis of the structure and the activity of these experimental compounds might pave the way toward generation of novel prototypes of next-generation transmission-blocking drugs.

Keywords: Plasmodium falciparum; antimalarials; drugs; endectocide; gametocyte; gametocytocidal; sporontocidal; transmission blocking.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antimalarials / chemistry
  • Antimalarials / therapeutic use*
  • Humans
  • Malaria, Falciparum / drug therapy*
  • Malaria, Falciparum / transmission
  • Molecular Structure

Substances

  • Antimalarials