ArticleBMC biology2015
Macrolides rapidly inhibit red blood cell invasion by the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum.
Article in BMC biology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers.
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Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 88 citations in OpenAlex.
- Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine plus azithromycin may improve birth outcomes through impacts on inflammation and placental angiogenesis independent of malarial infection.Scientific reports · 2019Trial
- Unpacking boxes: identification of novel inhibitors of malaria parasite invasion.International journal for parasitology. Drugs and drug resistance · 2026Article
- An abundant merozoite surface protein ofeLife · 2026Article
- A single dose of azithromycin versus placebo for malaria in infants: A cluster-randomized trial.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Characterizing the quick-killing mechanism of action of azithromycin analogs against malaria parasites.Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy · 2025Article
- A review of natural products as a source of next-generation drugs against apicomplexan parasites.npj antimicrobials and resistance · 2025Review
- Revisiting Azithromycin for Intermittent Preventive Treatment in Pregnancy.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2025Article
- Molecular characterization and analysis of the drug resistance-associated protein phosphoglycerate kinase ofParasitology · 2024Article
- Aryl amino acetamides prevent Plasmodium falciparum ring development via targeting the lipid-transfer protein PfSTART1.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Anti-Toxoplasma gondii effect of tylosin in vitro and in vivo.Parasites & vectors · 2024Article
- Article
- Sulfonylpiperazine compounds prevent Plasmodium falciparum invasion of red blood cells through interference with actin-1/profilin dynamics.PLoS biology · 2023Article
- Plasmodium falciparum merozoite invasion ligands, linked antimalarial resistance loci and ex vivo responses to antimalarials in The Gambia.The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy · 2022Article
- A determination of pan-pathogen antimicrobials?Medicine in drug discovery · 2022Review
- CD147-spike protein interaction in COVID-19: Get the ball rolling with a novel receptor and therapeutic target.The Science of the total environment · 2022Review
- Molecular basis of the potential interaction of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to CD147 in COVID-19 associated-lymphopenia.Journal of biomolecular structure & dynamics · 2022Article
- Article
- Targeting malaria parasites with novel derivatives of azithromycin.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2022Article
- Azithromycin: Immunomodulatory and antiviral properties for SARS-CoV-2 infection.European journal of pharmacology · 2021Review
- Drug Repurposing: A Review of Old and New Antibiotics for the Treatment of Malaria: Identifying Antibiotics with a Fast Onset of Antiplasmodial Action.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMalaria invasion of red blood cells involves multiple parasite-specific targets that are easily accessible to inhibitory compounds, making it an attractive target for antimalarial development. However, no current antimalarial agents act against host cell invasion.
resultsHere, we demonstrate that the clinically used macrolide antibiotic azithromycin, which is known to kill human malaria asexual blood-stage parasites by blocking protein synthesis in their apicoplast, is also a rapid inhibitor of red blood cell invasion in human (Plasmodium falciparum) and rodent (P. berghei) malarias. Multiple lines of evidence demonstrate that the action of azithromycin in inhibiting parasite invasion of red blood cells is independent of its inhibition of protein synthesis in the parasite apicoplast, opening up a new strategy to develop a single drug with multiple parasite targets. We identified derivatives of azithromycin and erythromycin that are better invasion inhibitors than parent compounds, offering promise for development of this novel antimalarial strategy.
conclusionsSafe and effective macrolide antibiotics with dual modalities could be developed to combat malaria and reduce the parasite's options for resistance.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.