Anticancer Agents Against Malaria: Time to Revisit?

    January 2010 in “ Trends in Parasitology ”
    Alexis Nzila, John Okombo, Ruy Perez Becker, Roma Chilengi, Trudie Lang, Tim Niehues
    TLDR Anticancer drugs like methotrexate and trimetrexate could be effective and safe for treating malaria at low doses.
    The document discussed the potential of repurposing anticancer agents, such as methotrexate (MTX) and trimetrexate (TMX), for malaria treatment due to their activity against the malaria parasite. Despite concerns about toxicity, the authors argued that these drugs could be safe and effective at the right doses. Low-dose MTX showed promise in treating malaria with minimal side effects in past clinical trials involving seven patients, and TMX demonstrated efficacy against Plasmodium falciparum at much lower doses than those used in cancer treatment. The study emphasized the urgent need for new antimalarials due to rising resistance and advocated for further investigation into these drugs as potential treatments.
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