Thioredoxin and glutathione system of malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum

Plasmodium falciparum is the causative agent of malaria tropica. Due to the increasing resistance towards the commonly used plasmodicidal drugs there is an urgent need to identify and assess new targets for the chemotherapeut ic intervention of parasite development in the human host. It is establishe d that fl falciparum-infected erythrocytes are vulnerable to oxidative stre ss, and therefore efficient antioxidative systems are required to ensure pa rasite development within the host cell. The thioredoxin and glutathione re dox systems represent two powerful means to detoxify reactive oxygen specie s and this article summarizes some of the recent work which has led to a be tter understanding of these systems in the parasite and will help to assess them as potential targets for the development of new chemotherapeutics of malaria.