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In the present morphological study, we used electron microscopy (EM) to evaluate the activity of three quinolines upon Plasmodium falciparum strains cultured in vitro. The drugs (namely chloroquine, mefloquine and a new active substance, SF6606) showed common cellular targets (i.e. feeding process, protein synthesis, membrane formation and utilisation) but gave rise to different morphological features. EM as a tool is able to reveal a variety of drug-induced alterations, but it does not seem to supply evidence of a definite mechanism of action. Nevertheless, our observations suggest that each drug acts via several mechanisms, possibly linked to different degrees of parasite susceptibility.

Type

Journal article

Journal

Microbiologica

Publication Date

01/1989

Volume

12

Pages

15 - 28

Addresses

Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Pavia, Italy.

Keywords

Animals, Plasmodium falciparum, Indoles, Quinolines, Chloroquine, Mefloquine, Antimalarials, Microscopy, Electron, Molecular Structure