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Possible Cure for Drug-resistant malaria: toothpaste ingredient

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have an innovative cure for drug-resistant malaria. This ingredient is commonly found in toothpastes.

A mosquito is the key carrier of malarial pathogens. Whenever such a mosquito bites a human being, these parasites are transferred into bloodstream of humans. Such parasites move through the liver for colonization and proliferation.

After proliferation and colonization in the liver, they attack red blood cells and multiply continuously. This further leads to potentially threatening illnesses.

In Africa and south-east Asia, more than a million people are affected by malaria. Although numerous medicines are commercially available in the market, it has been found that malarial parasites are mutating in recent times.

According to a recent study in the journal “Scientific Reports,” a team of researchers discovered that triclosan is the active ingredient that can fight “drug-resistant bacteria.” Triclosan obstructs the development of plaque bacteria with the help of the enzyme enoyl reductase (ENR). This enzyme was used for producing fatty acids.

To investigate therapeutic efficiency of triclosan, scientists attacked the culture of pathogens. They found that triclosan could target ENR, which is a virulent strain of pathogenic bacteria in the liver.

Triclosan suppresses the growth of parasites by completely inhibiting an enzyme, named DHFR. An anti-malarial drug named pyrimethamine targets DHFR; however, this target is also resisted by malarial parasites in Africa. Interestingly, triclosan could target even these parasites resistant to pyrimethamine.

In Africa and south-east Asia, a growing concern is the proliferation of drug-resistant malaria. The expression of ENR and DHFR was inhibited by triclosan. Triclosan is found to be effective on the parasite both in the liver and bloodstream. Thus, there is hope of a new drug against drug-resistant parasites.

This experimental research study was conducted in conjunction with robot scientist “Eve” in order to accelerate drug discovery process. With the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning, an innovative approach can be established for inventing new drugs.

 

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A new recyclable treatment for destroying cancer cells selectively

Researchers at the University of Warwick have developed a new recyclable treatment for destroying cancer cells. This research study was led by Professor Peter J. Sadler, who works at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Warwick. They have synthesized an organic-osmium compound, which can selectively attack cancer cells. The compound was synthesized using sodium formate in non-toxic dosages. Sodium formate is found in many organisms as a natural product. Ants and nettles also synthesize this natural product.

The novel organic-osmium compound was named JPC11 by researchers. They found that this compound can target metabolic process that governs the survival and proliferation of cancer cells. Cancer cells derive energy for rapid division and proliferation from a key substance, which belongs to the class of pyruvates. This key substance is converted into unnatural lactate by JPC11. The resultant lactate destroys cancer cells.

The significance of this treatment lies in the fact that the chemo-catalyst JPC11 is recyclable; therefore, it can be reused to repeatedly attack a particular cancer cell line. This is a path-breaking innovation in cancer treatment as JPC11 is a novel compound that paves the way for recyclable treatment of cancer. In future, side-effects and toxicity of chemotherapy can be minimized by administering such recyclable drugs in smaller dosages. The functional capacity of JPC11 is unprecedented given the recyclable ability of the compound. Researchers have been now focusing on how this compound can be effectively used to treat ovarian cancer.

It is difficult to treat patients with ovarian cancer because they are usually resistant to conventional chemotherapeutic drugs. In particular, they are highly resistant to the platinum drug cisplatin. This new drug broadens the scope of anticancer treatment given the fact that it is recyclable and reusable. The new drug is promising as it destroys cancer cells through a completely novel mechanism, so ovarian cancer patients may not be resistant to this novel drug.

One of the major attractions of this compound is the fact that it selectively destroys cancer cells. Researchers found that JPC11 compound primarily targeted the expression of cancer cells. The compound did not attack healthy living cells, so they were mostly unaffected by exposure to JPC11 compound. Compared to conventional platinum drugs, the selectivity of JPC11 compound is far more superior and effective. In fact, the conventional platinum drugs would also destroy healthy living cells which were in the vicinity of cancer cells. Thus, the selective activity of JPC11 compound seems to be a major breakthrough in cancer treatment.

According to Dr. James Coverdale, this is a path-breaking discovery in the treatment of cancer. Dr. James Coverdale is a research scholar at the Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick. He worked with his colleagues to develop this innovative compound, which holds promising results in cancer treatment. By synthesizing this compound, they broadened the applications of chemistry in medical science. With this compound, they have come up with a novel strategy for killing cancer cells selectively. The compound JPC11 is a chemo-catalyst with a unique mechanism of action, which seems to be more selective and effective in destroying cancer cells. Given its high selectivity, it paves the way for new treatments that are much safer and effective than conventional treatments.

Peter Sadler is a medicinal chemist who also worked with this research group at the University of Warwick. According to Professor Peter Sadler, cancer chemotherapy mainly involves the use of platinum compounds. However, these drugs have poor selectivity and less safety, so new drugs must be invented to overcome the problem of side-effects and drug-resistance. In this research study, a truly novel drug was discovered for cancer treatment. Professor Peter Sadler believes that chemo-catalysts are promising in cancer treatment since they have immunogenic properties. However, the efficacy of this drug must be further established by conducting clinical trials.