Antimalarials Antimetabolites

A considerable number of enzymes occupy a central and crucial role in the activity of drugs. Dihydrofolate reductase, an enzyme involved in purine and amino acid biosynthesis, is the target of antibacterial sulfanilamides, which act both as bacteriostatics and antimalarials. These drugs act on the enzyme in different ways, some being so-called antimetabolites (i.e., reversible enzyme inhibitors). Some diuretics act on carbonic... 

Antimetabolites of nucleic acids as antitumor agents 91YGK989. Artemisinine (3,6,9-trimethyl-9,10h-epidioxyperhydropyrano[4,3,2-y/c] benzoxepin-2-one), a new type of antimalarial drug 92CSR85. 

Some 1-pyrindine derivatives have been found to show analgesic and anesthetic activity.157-159 1-Pyrindine derivatives have been screened for their effect as antimetabolites on the growth of Entamoeba histolytica,160 and other pyrindine derivatives have been studied as possible tuberculostatic102,108,161 and antimalarial agents.182... 

The non-classical antimetabolite approach, on the other hand, appears to have struck gold recently in the field of antimalarials as well as other antiprotozoal and antibacterial agents. If the reported animal screening results are any indication of the therapeutic usefulness of the new 2,4-diaminoquinazolines and related compounds, then one would think that the goal of eradicating these parasitic diseases is in sight. 

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