DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/XM2M-SW19
Defense Date
2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Chemistry
First Advisor
Dr. Vladimir Sidorov
Abstract
Despite the efforts of scientists around the world 409,000 people died of malaria in 2019 alone. According to the WHO 90% of those deaths occurred in Africa. Despite the high number of available treatments, malaria continues to plague many parts of the world. This is due in part to drug resistance developed among mosquito populations as well as limited access to medicines that do work. Furthermore, when traveling to malaria prone areas, pretreatment with a chemoprophylaxis is common practice. However, often the side effects to malaria pretreatment are severe. A new approach to the treatment of malaria is a compound that is only active in the presence of Fe3+ ions and a negative transmembrane potential (Δψ). In the parasitic stage where symptoms of malaria present, plasmodium falciparum invades erythrocytes and increases the concentration of free Fe3+ in the cytosol of red blood cells. The novel compound 2-(naphthalen-1-ylamino)-2-oxoethyl) (2-bromoethyl) carbamothioate is shown to selectively lyse liposomes only under the presence of Fe3+ and a transmembrane diffusion potential. These promising findings suggest a new type of malaria treatment that can depolarize and selectively kill P. falciparum during the erythrocytic cycle.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
5-16-2022