• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제60권4호
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• pp.281-288
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• 2022

Malaria continues to be one of the most crucial infectious burdens in endemic areas worldwide, as well as for travelers visiting malaria transmission regions. It has been reported that 8-aminoquinolines are effective against the Plasmodium species, particularly primaquine, for anti-hypnozoite therapy in P. vivax malaria. However, primaquine causes acute hemolytic anemia in individuals with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Therefore, G6PD deficiency testing should precede hypnozoite elimination with 8-aminoquinoline. Several point-of-care devices have been developed to detect G6PD deficiency. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the performance of a novel, quantitative G6PD diagnostics based on a metagenomic blue fluorescent protein (mBFP). We comparatively evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of the G6PD diagnostic modality with standard methods using 120 human whole blood samples. The G6PD deficiency was spectrophotometrically confirmed. The performance of the G6PD quantitative test kit was compared with that of a licensed control medical device, the G6PD strip. The G6PD quantitative test kit had a sensitivity of 95% (95% confidence interval (CI): 89.3-100%) and a specificity of 100% (95% CI: 94.3-100%). This study shows that the novel diagnostic G6PD quantitative test kit could be a cost-effective and time-efficient, and universally mandated screening tool for G6PD deficiency.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.45-52
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• 2022

The identification of Plasmodium falciparum enoyl acyl-carrier protein reductase (pfENR) is considered as a potential biological target against malaria. Trema orientalis is considered a rich source of phytochemicals useful in malaria treatment. This study evaluated the in-vitro inhibitory activity of the extract and isolated compounds of T. orientalis leaf; the isolated compounds and the analogues of the most active compound were subjected to in-silico molecular docking studies on pfENR. The methanolic extract of T. orientalis was subjected to repeated chromatographic separation which led to the isolation of some compounds. The isolated compounds from the plant were examined for their antimalarial activity using β-hematin inhibition assay. Virtual screening via molecular docking and ADMET studies were conducted to gain insight into the mechanism of binding of ligand and to identify effective pfENR inhibitors. The isolated compounds and the analogues of the most active isolates were gotten from PubChem library for use in docking study. Hexacosanol and β-sitosterol showed inhibition of the β-hematin formation. The docking results showed that hexacosanol, β-sitosterol and the analogues of β-sitosterol displayed binding energy ranging between -6.1 kcal/mol and -11.6 kcal/mol. Sitosterol glucoside has the highest docking score. Some of the ligands showed more binding affinity than known bioactive compounds used as reference. Analogues of β-sitosterol has been shown to be potential inhibitors of pfENR, therefore, the findings from this study suggest that sitosterol glucoside and ergosterol peroxide could act as antimalarial agents after further lead optimisation investigations.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• 제50권
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• pp.97-107
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• 2023

Malaria remains to be one of the most severe global public health concerns. Traditionally, Aspilia Africana and Warburgia ugandensis have been used to treat malaria in several African countries for millennia. In the current study, A. africana calli (AaC), A. africana in vitro roots (AaIR), A. africana wild leaf (AaWL), and W. ugandensis stem bark (WuSB) were dried and pulverized. Fourier transform near-infrared spectroscopy was used to analyze the powdered samples, while 80% ethanolic extracts of each sample were assayed for antiplasmodial activity (against Plasmodium falciparum strains DD2 (chloroquine-resistant) and 3D7 (chloroquine-sensitive)) and cytotoxicity. WuSB showed the highest antiplasmodial activity (IC₅₀ = 1.57 ± 0.210 ㎍/ml and 8.92 ± 0.365 ㎍/ml against P. falciparum 3D7 and DD2, respectively) and selectivity indices (43.90 ± 7.914 and 7.543 ± 0.051 for P. falciparum 3D7 and DD2, respectively). The highest total polyphenolic contents (total phenolic and flavonoid contents of 367.9 ± 3.55 mg GAE/g and 203.9 ± 1.43 mg RUE/g, respectively) were recorded for WuSB and the lowest were recorded for AaC. The antiplasmodial activities of the tested plant tissues correlated positively with total polyphenolic content. The high selectivity indices of WuSB justify its traditional applications in treating malaria and present it as a good candidate for discovering new antimalarial compounds. We recommend elicitation treatment for AaIR, which showed moderate antiplasmodial activity against P. falciparum DD2, to increase its secondary metabolite production for optimal antimalarial activity.

• 대한화장품학회지
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• 제40권3호
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• pp.313-320
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• 2014

본 연구에서는 피부 상재균에 대한 니아울리 잎 추출물의 항균활성을 조사하였다. 실험에 사용한 피부 상재균의 종류는 그람 양성균인 Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes)와 그람 음성균인 Escherichia coli (E. coli) 및 Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), 효모균인 Plasmodium ovale (P. ovale)이다. 이들 피부 상재균에 대한 니아울리 잎추출물 또는 분획의 항균활성은 disc diffusion assay 및 broth dilution assay 측정법으로 평가하였다. 실험결과 피부 상재균인 B. subtilis, S. aureus, P. acnes, E. coli 및 P. aeruginosa에 대한 니아울리 잎 50% 에탄올 추출물의 최소성장억제농도(minimum inhibitory concentration, MIC)는 각각 0.25%, 0.50%, 1.00%, 0.13% 및 0.25%, 물 분획에서의 MIC는 0.25%, 0.25%, 4,00%, 0.25% 및 0.25%를 나타내었다. 하지만 P. ovale인 비듬균에 대해서는 항균활성을 나타내지 않았다. 비교 물질로 사용한 메틸 파라벤의 MIC는 각각 0.25%, 0.25%, 0.25%, 0.13% 및 0.50%를 나타내었다. 추출물의 상재균에 대한 최소사멸농도(minimum bactericidal concentration, MBC)는 50% 에탄올 추출물의 경우 각각 2.00%, 2.00%, 1.00%, 0.50% 및 2.00%였고, 물 분획에서는 0.50%, 0.25%, 4.00%, 0.50% 및 1.00%를 나타내었다. 비교 물질로 사용한 메틸 파라벤의 MBC는 각각 1.00%, 0.5%, 0.50%, 0.5% 및 1.00%로 추출물의 물 분획에서는 P. acnes를 제외한 피부 상재균에 대한 항균활성이 우수한 것으로 나타났고 50% 에탄올 추출물도 메틸 파라벤에 근접하는 항균활성을 나타내었다. 이러한 결과들은 니아울리 잎 50% 에탄올 추출물/분획은 피부 상재균에 대한 항균활성을 나타내는 천연 방부제로서 화장품에 응용 가능함을 시사한다.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제40권3호
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• pp.139-148
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• 2002

In order to study the range of flight and feeding activity of Anopheles sinensis, the dispersal experiment was conducted in Paju city, located in the northern part of Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea, during the period of 7th to 28th September 1998. Unfed females An. sinensis were collected in cowshed and released after being marked with fluorescent dye at 23:00 hours on the same day. Released female mosquitoes were recaptured everyday during 21 days using light traps, which were set at 10 sites in the cowsheds located 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 km north-northwest and north-northeast and at 3 sites located 1, 6 and 9 km toward south-west from the release point. In addition, to study the longest flight distance in one night, we set the light traps at 16 and 20 km toward north-northeast from the release site. All the collected mosquitoes were placed on filter papers and observed on UV transilluminator after treatment with one drop of 100% ethanol. Out of 12,773 females of An. sinensis released, 194 marked females mosquitoes were recaptured, giving 1.52% recapture rate. Of 194, 72 mosquitoes (37 1%) were recaptured in light traps from three places set at 1 km from the release point, 57 mosquitoes (29.4%) from two places at 1-3 km, 41 mosquitoes (21.1%) from three places at 3-6 km, 20 mosquitoes (10.3%) from three places at 6-9 km, and 4 mosquitoes (2.1%) from two places at 9-12 km. Since 170 female mosquitoes (87.6%) out of 194 marked mosquitoes were captured within 6 km from the release point, this flight radius represents the main activity area. An. sinensis was found to be able to fly at least 12 km during one night.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제48권1호
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• pp.35-41
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• 2010

We investigated the seasonality of Anopheles mosquitoes, including its species composition, density, parity, and population densities of mosquitoes infected with the parasite in Ganghwa-do (Island), a vivax malaria endemic area in the Republic of Korea. Mosquitoes were collected periodically with a dry-ice-tent trap and a blacklight trap during the mosquito season (April-October) in 2008. Anopheles sinensis (94.9%) was the most abundant species collected, followed by Anopheles belenrae (3.8%), Anopheles pullus (1.2%), and Anopheles lesteri (0.1%). Hibernating Anopheles mosquitoes were also collected from December 2007 to March 2008. An. pullus (72.1%) was the most frequently collected, followed by An. sinensis (18.4%) and An. belenrae (9.5%). The composition of Anopheles species differed between the mosquito season and hibernation seasons. The parous rate fluctuated from 0% to 92.9%, and the highest rate was recorded on 10 September 2008. Sporozoite infections were detected by PCR in the head and thorax of female Anopheles mosquitoes. The annual sporozoite rate of mosquitoes was 0.11% (2 of 1,845 mosquitoes). The 2 mosquitoes that tested positive for sporozoites were An. sinensis. Malarial infections in anopheline mosquitoes from a population pool were also tried irrespective of the mosquito species. Nine of 2,331 pools of Anopheles mosquitoes were positive. From our study, it can be concluded that An. sinensis, which was the predominant vector species and confirmed as sporozoite-infected, plays an important role in malaria transmission in Ganghwa-do.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제61권3호
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• pp.282-291
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• 2023

Despite the recent progress in public health measures, malaria remains a troublesome disease that needs to be eradicated. It is essential to develop new antimalarial medications that are reliable and secure. This report evaluated the pharmacokinetics and antimalarial activity of 1,2,6,7-tetraoxaspiro[7.11]nonadecane (N-89) using the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei in vivo. After a single oral dose (75 mg /kg) of N-89, its pharmacokinetic parameters were measured, and t_1/2 was 0.97 h, T_max was 0.75 h, and bioavailability was 7.01%. A plasma concentration of 8.1 ng/ml of N-89 was maintained for 8 h but could not be detected at 10 h. The dose inhibiting 50% of parasite growth (ED₅₀) and ED₉₀ values of oral N-89 obtained following a 4-day suppressive test were 20 and 40 mg/kg, respectively. Based on the plasma concentration of N-89, we evaluated the antimalarial activity and cure effects of oral N-89 at a dose of 75 mg/kg 3 times daily for 3 consecutive days in mice harboring more than 0.5% parasitemia. In all the N-89-treated groups, the parasites were eliminated on day 5 post-treatment, and all mice recovered without a parasite recurrence for 30 days. Additionally, administering oral N-89 at a low dose of 50 mg/kg was sufficient to cure mice from day 6 without parasite recurrence. This work was the first to investigate the pharmacokinetic characteristics and antimalarial activity of N-89 as an oral drug. In the future, the following steps should be focused on developing N-89 for malaria treatments; its administration schedule and metabolic pathways should be investigated.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• 제8권1호
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• pp.1-15
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• 2002

An International Cooperative Biodiversity Group (ICBG) program based at the University of Illinois at Chicago initiated its activities in 1998, with the following specific objectives: (a) inventory and conservation of of plants of Cuc Phuong National Park in Vietnam and of medicinal plants of Laos; (b) drug discovery (and development) based on plants of Vietnam and Laos; and (c) economic development of communities participating in the ICBG project both in Vietnam and Laos. Member-institutions and an industrial partner of this ICBG are bound by a Memorandum of Agreement that recognizes property and intellectual property rights, prior informed consent for access to genetic resources and to indigenous knowledge, the sharing of benefits that may arise from the drug discovery effort, and the provision of short-term and long-term benefits to host country institutions and communities. The drug discovery effort is targeted to the search for agents for therapies against malaria (antimalarial assay of plant extracts, using Plasmodium falciparum clones), AIDS (anti-HIV-l activity using HOG.R5 reporter cell line (through transactivation of the green fluorescent protein/GFP gene), cancer (screening of plant extracts in 6 human tumor cell lines - KB, Col-2, LU-l, LNCaP, HUVEC, hTert-RPEl), tuberculosis (screening of extracts in the microplate Alamar Blue assay against Mycobacterium tuberculosis $H_{37}Ra\;and\;H_{37}Rv),$ all performed at UIC, and CNS-related diseases (with special focus on Alzheimer's disease, pain and rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma), peformed at Glaxo Smith Kline (UK). Source plants were selected based on two approaches: biodiversity-based (plants of Cuc Phuong National Park) and ethnobotany-based (medicinal plants of Cuc Phuong National Park in Vietnam and medicinal plants of Laos). At mc, as of July, 2001, active leads had been identified in the anti-HIV, anticancer, antimalarial, and anti- TB assay, after the screening of more than 800 extracts. At least 25 biologically active compounds have been isolated, 13 of which are new with anti-HIV activity, and 3 also new with antimalarial activity. At GSK of 21 plant samples with a history of use to treat CNS-related diseases tested to date, a number showed activity against one or more of the CNS assay targets used, but no new compounds have been isolated. The results of the drug discovery effort to date indicate that tropical plant diversity of Vietnam and Laos unquestionably harbors biologically active chemical entities, which, through further research, may eventually yield candidates for drug development. Although the substantial monetary benefit of the drug discovery process (royalties) is a long way off, the UIC ICBG program provides direct and real-term benefits to host country institutions and communities.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• 제7권2호
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• pp.218-224
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• 2000

목 적 : 1970년대 이후 약 20년간 발생이 없었던 삼일열 말라리아가 1993년부터 발생되어 점차 확산되는 추세에 있어 과거와 같은 토착화에 대한 우려가 높다. 국내에서 말라리아의 토착화를 막기 위하여는 현재 발생되는 말라리아 대한 역학 및 임상 특성에 관한 연구가 제일 우선되어야 할 것이다. 한편 성인에 비해 발생율은 낮으나 소아에서도 환자가 증가되는 추세에 있어 소아에서도 동일한 관점에서 역학 및 임상 연구가 요구되고 있다. 이와 같은 배경에서 말라리아 다발생 지역인 경기지역의 소아에 발생된 말라리아의 역학 연구를 후향적으로 실시하였다. 방 법 : 1998년 9월부터 1999년 8월까지 경기지역 종합병원 및 국공립 의료기관에서 말초 혈액도말 검사상 말라리아로 진단된 15세 이하의 소아 환자를 대상으로 발생 연령 및 성별, 발생 시기, 발생 지역, 발생 역학적 배경, 발열의 양상, 동반 증상, 진찰상 특이 소견, 일반검사 소견, 말초혈액 도말검사 소견, 치료와 연관된 사항 및 예후에 관한 내용의 의무기록을 통하여 후향적 연구를 시행하였다. 결 과 : 연구대상수는 총 21명으로서 남녀비는 2:1이었고 5세 이하에서도 삼일열 말라리아가 발생되었으나 11세 이상 15세 이하의 연령에서제일 많이 발생(14명;66.7%)되었다. 발생시기는 2월, 5,월, 6월, 10월에 각 1명씩 발생하였고 4월, 9월에 각 2명이 그리고 8월에 4명, 7월에 9명이 발생되었다. 환아가 발생된 동일 거주지역과 가족내에서 성인 환자 발생이 있었고, 지역적으로 파주, 의정부, 부평, 연천, 동두천, 포천, 철원, 부천의 순으로 다발생하였다. 임상적으로 발열의 양상은 48시간 간격의 주기성 발열이 15명, 24시간 간격의 주기성 발열이 4명, 비주기성 발열이 2명에서 보였고 발열외에 두통, 구토, 식욕부진, 오심, 오한, 권태감, 복통, 설사 등의 증상이 동반되었다. 진찰 소견상 비장비대가 제일 흔히 발현되었고, 검사 소견상 빈혈, 혈소판 감소증, 비정상 간기능, 백혈구 감소, 혈뇨의 순으로 이상 소견이 나타났다. 말초혈액 도말검사에서 Plasmodium vivax의 원충 단계는 young trophozite, gametocyte, schizont순으로 확인되었다. 전 예에서 chlorquine 약제의 치료반응이 좋았고 합병증이 없었으며 추적 가능한 8례에서도 재발은 없었다. 결 론 : 1998년 9월부터 1999년 8월 사이에 경기지역 소아에서 발생된 말라리아는 경기 북부지역의 10세 이상 고연령 소아에서 주로 하계절에 발생되며, 주기성 발열이 임상적으로 주된 증상이며 진찰상 비장비대가 주된 양성 소견이었으며 말초 혈액 도말검사상 young trphozoite가 제일 많이 발견됨을 알 수 있었다. 전반적으로 소아 환자에서의 치료 약제 반응은 좋고 합병증이 없이 양호한 경과를 보이며 재발도 거의 없는 것을 확인하였다.