Malaria is a disease caused by Plasmodium spp., of which Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax are the most prevalent. Unfortunately, traditional and some current treatment regimens face growing protozoan resistance. Thus, searching for and exploring new drugs and targets is necessary. One of these is N-myristoyltransferase (NMT). This enzyme is responsible for the myristoylation of several protein substrates in eukaryotic cells, including Plasmodium spp., thus enabling the assembly of protein complexes and stabilization of protein-membrane interactions. Given the importance of this target in developing new antiparasitic drugs, this review aims to explore the recent advances in the design of antimalarial drugs to target Plasmodium NMT.
Keywords: antimalarial drugs; antiparasitic drugs; myristoyl-CoA; neglected tropical diseases; plasmodium falciparum; quinoline.
Despite being a well-known disease, we need new drugs to treat malaria. Increasing resistance of the parasite that causes malaria to current drugs is a problem. One alternative mechanism that could be explored is the inhibition of an enzyme known as NMT. This study looks at NMT inhibitors.