Antimalarial activities of peptide antibiotics isolated from fungi

Malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum is a major public health problem in the developing countries of the world. Clinical treatment of malaria has b ecome complicated due to the occurrence of infections caused by drug resist ant parasites. Secondary metabolites from fungi are an attractive source of chemotherapeutic agents. This work reports the isolation and in vitro anti plasmodial activities of peptide antibiotics of fungal origin. The three pe ptide antibiotics used in this study were efrapeptins, zervamicins, and ant iamoebin. The high-performance liquid chromatography-purified peptides were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectral analysis. Al l three fungal peptides kill P. falciparum in culture with 50% inhibitory c oncentrations in the micromolar range. A possible mode of action of these p eptide antibiotics on P. falciparum is presented.