A NOVEL APPROACH ON ANTI-MALARIAL DRUG CHLOROQUINE

About author :
E. Anka Rao*, K.V.S. Prasad, M. Madan Mohan Reddy, S. Revathi
Sk. Juveeriya, S. Suneetha, D.Kiran Kumar, A. Phanendra Babu
Narayana Pharmacy College, Nellore,  AP, India
*E-mail : ankarao25@yahoo.co.in

ABSTRACT
Malaria is one of the diseases for which even today not many suitable drugs are available. The rapid spread of resistance toward current drugs encourages the study for new active molecules. Chloroquine (CQ) is a cost effective antimalarial drug with a relatively good safety profile (or therapeutic index). However, CQ is no longer used alone to treat patients with Plasmodium falciparum due to the emergence and spread of CQ-resistant strains, also reported for P. vivax. Despite CQ resistance, novel drug candidates based on the structure of CQ continue to be considered, as in the present work. It is one of the most prevalent parasitic diseases in the world. It affects approximately 500 million individuals throughout the tropical and subtropical areas of developing countries and causes considerable morbidity and mortality with about 800,000 deaths worldwide each year. P. falciparum infection in non-immune adults and children is often associated with severe cerebral malaria. The global importance of this disease, current limitations of vector control and the absence of an effective vaccine, makes the development of therapeutic antimalarial drugs the main strategy of malaria control.
Key Words : Malaria, Chloroquine, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Chloroquine resistance.