Current advances in nanodrug delivery systems for malaria prevention and treatment

Abstract

Malaria is a life-threatening, blood-borne disease with over two hundred million cases throughout the world and is more prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa than anywhere else in the world. Over the years, several treatment agents have been developed for malaria; however, most of these active pharmaceutical ingredients exhibit poor aqueous solubility and low bioavailability and may result in drug-resistant parasites, thus increasing malaria cases and eventually, deaths. Factors such as these in therapeutics have led to a better appreciation of nanomaterials. The ability of nanomaterials to function as drug carriers with a high loading capacity and targeted drug delivery, good biocompatibility, and low toxicity renders them an appealing alternative to conventional therapy. Nanomaterials such as dendrimers and liposomes have been demonstrated to be capable of enhancing the efficacy of antimalarial drugs. This review discusses the recent development of nanomaterials and their benefits in drug delivery for the potential treatment of malaria.

Trends and Prospects of Nano-delivered Phytopharmaceuticals for disease of Public health importance: A Review

“…In the fight against malaria, nanomedicines were being studied for targeted drug delivery to infect cells and vaccine development. Nanoparticles are being explored to improve the stability and delivery of antimalarial drugs [132]. In addition to these, researchers in Africa are also exploring nanotechnology-based wound dressings and scaffolds for tissue regeneration applications [133].…”

Multifunctional Deep Eutectic Solvent-Based Microemulsion for Transdermal Delivery of Artemisinin

“…Although artemisinin did show good therapeutic effects, it has some drawbacks such as low solubility (the solubility in water was as low as 0.059 mg/mL), poor bioavailability (approximately 30%), and short half-life time (2–3 h). − In order to solve these problems, new types of antimalaria APIs and various derivatives of artemisinin, like artesunate (ART) and dihydroartemisinin (DHA), were developed; − a series of finely designed nanovesicles have been proposed to efficiently deliver artemisinin as well as its derivatives. , For instance, Gao et al proposed a self-emulsifying drug delivery system (SEDDS), which displayed higher solubility, permeability, and bioactivity . Since artemisinin is of low molecular weight and displays obvious hydrophobicity (log P = 2), transdermal delivery may be an efficient way, which shows a lot of merits that can promote the bioavailability and convenience. , However, only a few research studies concerning the transdermal delivery of artemisinin have been reported, where solid dispersions, microemulsions, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), niosomes, etc.…”

A quantum mechanics and molecular mechanics study of bis-thiosemicarbazones with strong antiplasmodial properties as Fe(iii)-selective chelators and inhibitors of hemozoin formation

“…4 Unfortunately, ACT-resistant strains of Plasmodium parasites have emerged in some malaria endemic regions such as Thailand, Cambodia and Southern China, warranting the search for novel antimalarial drugs with alternative mechanisms to that adopted by the ACTs, in a bid to prevent a global resurgence of the dreaded disease. 3,5 Although in October 2021 the WHO recommended the use of the Mosquirix (RTS,S/AS01) malaria vaccine for the prevention of malaria in children living in regions with moderate to high Plasmodium falciparum transmission, 1,6 antimalarial drugs remain key players in the fight against this infectious disease.…”