A common ingredient in toothpaste can be developed to combat drug-resistant strains of malaria, according to a study involving an artificial intelligence scientist.
In the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, scientists at the University of Cambridge used the robot world to conduct an examination involving millions of chemical, genetic and pharmacological tests. Triclosan, which is part of the toothpaste combination, has shown the ability to stop the spread of malaria in two critical stages in the liver and blood.
Malaria kills nearly half a million people each year, mostly children in poor parts of Africa. But the disease can be treated with a number of drugs, but resistance to these treatments is increasing, raising concerns that some strains may become resistant to treatment.
That’s why Steve Oliver of the University of Cambridge’s biochemistry department says the search for new treatments has become a necessity. Oliver co-led the researchers with Elizabeth Pilsland.
After moving to a new host through mosquito bites, malaria parasites make their way to the liver as they mature and multiply. And then spread to the red blood cells and multiply and spread throughout the body and cause fever and complications may threaten the life of the patient.
Scientists already know that triclosan can stop the growth of malaria parasites in the stage of infection in the blood by inhibiting the work of an enzyme known as Enuel Riductas contributes to the production of fatty acids.
In toothpaste this helps prevent the accumulation of bacteria in the teeth.
During the study, the team found that Triclosan also inhibits the work of a completely different enzyme in the malaria parasite known as DHFR.
The DHFR is the target of the anti-malaria drug pyrimethamine, which is more resistant to malaria parasites, particularly in Africa. The work of the Cambridge team demonstrated the ability of triclosan to target and inhibit this enzyme even in pyramethamine-resistant parasites.
“The discovery of our Triclosan effectiveness in malaria targeting gives us hope that we can use it to develop a new drug,” Elizabeth Bisland said.
“We know it is a safe component and its ability to target two points in the life cycle of the malaria parasite means that the parasite will find it difficult to develop resistance,” she said.
