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1: FEBS Lett. 1994 Sep 19;352(1):54-7.Click here to read Links

Quinoline anti-malarial drugs inhibit spontaneous formation of beta-haematin (malaria pigment).

Egan TJ, Ross DC, Adams PA.

Department of Chemical Pathology, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, Rondebosch, South Africa.

Polymerisation of haematin to beta-haematin (haemozoin or malaria pigment) in acidic acetate solutions was studied using infrared spectroscopy. The reaction was found to occur spontaneously between 6 and 65 degrees C, in 0.1-4.5 M acetate and pH 4.2-5.0. The anti-malarial drugs quinine, chloroquine and amodiaquin were found to block spontaneous beta-haematin formation, while the anti-malarially inactive 9-epiquinine and 8-hydroxyquinoline had no effect on the reaction, as did primaquine, a drug which is active only against exo-erythrocytic stages of infection. It is argued that the intra-erythrocytically active anti-malarial agents act by binding to haematin, blocking beta-haematin formation and leaving toxic haematin in the parasite food vacuoles.

PMID: 7925942 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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  • Quinine (Qualaquin® )

    Quinine is used alone or with other medications to treat malaria (a serious or life-threatening illness that is spread by mosquitos in certain parts of the world). Quinine should not be used to prevent malaria or to prev...

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    Primaquine is used alone or with another medication to treat malaria (a serious infection that is spread by mosquitoes in certain parts of the world and can cause death) and to prevent the disease from coming back in peo...

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