Abstract
Malaria is a severe human disease and a global health problem because of drug-resistant strains. Drugs reported to prevent the growth of Plasmodium parasites target various phases of the parasites' life cycle. Antimalarial drugs can inhibit key enzymes that are responsible for the cellular growth and development of parasites. Plasmodium falciparum dihydroorotate dehydrogenase is one such enzyme that is necessary for de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis. This review focuses on various medicinal chemistry approaches used for the discovery and identification of selective P. falciparum dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitors as antimalarial agents. This comprehensive review discusses recent advances in the selective therapeutic activity of distinct chemical classes of compounds as P. falciparum dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitors and antimalarial drugs.
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Supplementary data
To view the supplementary data that accompany this paper please visit the journal website at:www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.2217/epi-2016-0184
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the Institute of Pharmacy, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, India, for providing the necessary facilities.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.