Glucose is the primary source of energy and a key substrate for most cells. transporters of other protozoan pathogens is also reviewed and discussed. Background – Malaria burden and drug resistance Today drug-resistant malaria is a persistent global health threat resulting in an estimated one million human deaths worldwide. Of all malarial BX-912 species infection with Plasmodium falciparum is the cause of the greatest death toll hitting sub-Saharan Africa hardest. Following the emergence of chloroquine resistance more than half a century ago new drugs were introduced as alternative treatment regimens. The efficacy of these drugs deteriorated quickly for some of them at an alarming rate as malarial parasites evolved multiple mechanisms of drug resistance. For example the first reports of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine and atovaquone BX-912 resistance arrived in the same year as their introduction [1]. With worsening resistance to all available anti-malarials in Southeast Asia artemisinins extracted from a plant used in traditional Chinese medicine for over two millennia found worldwide application. Artemisinins are highly potent and safe BX-912 anti-malarials which are effective against multidrug-resistant P. falciparum [2-5]. One BX-912 of the major goals identified to control malaria has Rabbit polyclonal to PON2. been to prolong the lifespan of existing drugs by using drug-combination treatments. Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) today includes artesunate-mefloquine artemether-lumefantrine artesunate-amodiaquine artesunate-sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine and dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine [6]. ACT is currently recommended by WHO as the first-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria whereas recommendations for the treatment of severe malaria include artesunate or quinine given parenterally followed by a course of an ACT [6]. Given the essential role of artemisinins in anti-malarial treatment it is of great concern that resistance to artemisinins has recently emerged at the Thai-Cambodian border region [7-9]. While immediate action is necessary to conquer the spread of artemisinin resistance the development of new tools to tackle malaria is even more urgent. The availability of the complete P. falciparum genome has facilitated identification of a series of novel candidate targets. This includes a large number of solute transport proteins that are underexploited as potential anti-malarial targets [10]. Here we describe recent advances in the development of the P. falciparum hexose transporter PfHT as a novel drug target. A novel approach to kill the malarial parasite – inhibition of sugar uptake Blood is a steady and abundant source of glucose (~ 5 mM mean level) for malarial parasites residing and multiplying inside erythrocytes. Thus it is not surprising that blood stages of malarial parasites are dependant on glucose as their main energy source. In line with this assumption when malarial parasites are deprived of glucose their intracellular ATP levels drop quickly along with their cytoplasmic pH [11]. Glucose deprivation also causes depolarization of the parasite plasma membrane [12]. The main source of ATP production in asexual blood stages of malarial parasites is glycolysis which is followed by anaerobic fermentation of pyruvate to lactate. Although less efficient when compared with cellular respiration glycolysis provides fast ATP production which is required for the rapidly replicating intraerythrocytic parasite. The rate of ATP production by anaerobic glycolysis can be up to 100 times faster than that of oxidative phosphorylation. The role of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle in Plasmodium has long been a matter of debate. Recently it has been discovered that at least during their asexual blood stages malarial parasites have atypical branched TCA metabolism which is largely disconnected from glycolysis and therefore plays a minor role in energy metabolism [13]. Glucose from blood is delivered to the intraerythocytic malarial parasite by sugar transporters present in the host and the parasite plasma membranes. Glucose is first transported from blood plasma into the erythrocyte cytosol by GLUT1 the.