Erhabor Osaro
Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Nigeria
Title: Development of a new approach to treat children and pregnant women infected with falciparum malaria using effective antimalarial drugs and supplements which stimulate the immune system
Biography
Biography: Erhabor Osaro
Abstract
Despite the availability of adequate preventatives, falciparum malaria is still responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people yearly. The majority of these victims are young children and pregnant women. The key question is why does this occur? The vulnerability of these populations is likely caused by a deficiency in nutrition affecting the host immune system. Scientists have demonstrated that falciparum malaria patients (FMP) have a biochemical deficiency caused by insufficient amounts of the amino acid L-arginine (L-arg). L-arg is substrate for the enzyme- nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS2) which generates large amounts of nitric oxide (NO). NO reacts with a form of oxygen which generates a substance which can kill the malarial parasite. The parasite protects itself by producing and releasing L-arginase which degrades the l-arginine of the host thus preventing the NO-based toxicity. Children need L-arginine as an essential amino acid to be healthy so the parasite depletes this amino acid and prevents a needed substance from being used by their body and it also prevents the production of this key ingredient to fight the parasite. This same scenario likely occurs to the unborn child in pregnant women. In addition, pregnancy produces a somewhat immunosuppressed state causing increased morbidity and mortality. We plan to study the combination of artemether and lumefantrine with several types of sustained release nitric oxide nutritional supplements compared to drugs alone in these two populations