Molecular mechanisms of action and resistance of antimalarial drugs

Abstract

Drug-resistance in plasmodium parasites is manifested at large scale, putting all the malaria control efforts in vain with an urgent need of complementary strategies. A deeper understanding of mechanism of action of drugs, drug resistance and crossresistance between drugs will pave a way to design an effective individualized drug for malaria-affected regions. This chapter summarizes the molecular mechanism of all currently available anti-malarial drugs and the factors playing significant role in the development and spread of resistance against the antimalarials.