Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Xanthones As Antimalarial Agents : Binding Interactions Between Heme Analogues And Xanthones, Jane Xu Kelly

Dissertations and Theses

Human falciparum malaria is caused by Plasmodium falciparum parasite, which digests host hemoglobin within its food vacuole, releasing toxic heme. P. falciparum detoxifies free heme to hemozoin by polymerization. This process is believed to be the target of most successful antimalarial drugs, chloroquine and quinine, which are now losing their effectiveness due to the spread of multi-drug resistant strains. Xanthones were recognized in the laboratory of Dr. M. Riscoe (Portland VA Medical Center) to bind to heme, preventing heme polymerization [Ignatushchenko, M., Winter R., and Riscoe, M. (1997) FEBS Letters 409, 67].

This thesis reports a study of the interactions …