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Implicating extracellular vesicles in Plasmodium falciparum artemisinin resistance development

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: Plasmodium falciparum malaria remains a disease of significant public health impact today. With the risk of emerging artemisinin resistance stalling malaria control efforts, the need to deepen our understanding of the parasite's biology is dire. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are vital to the biology of P. falciparum and play a role in the pathogenesis of malaria. Recent studies have also shown that EVs may play a role in the development of artemisinin resistance in P. falciparum. Here, we highlight evidence on EVs in P. falciparum biology and malaria pathogenesis and argue that there is sufficient ground to propose a role for EVs in the development of P. falciparum artemisinin resistance. We suggest that EVs are actively secreted functional organelles that contribute to cellular homeostasis in P. falciparum-infected red blood cells under artemisinin pressure. Further exploration of this hypothesized EVs-based molecular mechanism of artemisinin resistance will aid the discovery of novel antimalarial therapies.

Source: Traffic

DOI: 10.1111/tra.12787

Authors: Kwesi Z. Tandoh, Michael D. Wilson, Neils B. Quashie, Nancy O. Duah‐Quashie

Institutions: University of Ghana, West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research

Language: English

Topic: Malaria Research and Control

Subfield: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

OpenAlex ID: W3154807101

FWCI: 1.514

Cites: 81

Cited by: 13

Related to: 10