الفهرس 
Introduction and Aim of the Work
Plasmodium-RBC InteractionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
♦ Introduction: - Malaria has been one of the major causes of devastating epidemics, which have plagued displaced populations and refugees in the past. Despite efforts done to its control, malaria remains prevalent in many developing countries with a vast distribution across the tropics and subtropics. Malaria is arguably the commonest disease of red blood cells (RBCs). The absence of endocytic and secretory pathways in the RBCs poses a potential obstacle for a fast-growing intracellular parasite that typically recruits host organelles for nutrient acquisition rather than relying on cellular diffusion processes. The solution for the growing ring stages is dietary restriction to the abundant haemoglobin and refurbishment of their new home by dramatic expansion of their surface area through formation of a tubovesicular network and by considerable export of a range of remodelling and virulence factors. After parasite invasion, RBCs are progressively and dramatically modified. Radical biochemical and morphological alterations manifest as increased membrane rigidity and reduced cell deformability. Alterations made by Plasmodium to the structure of the erythrocyte facilitate the movement of nutrients into, and waste products and parasite-derived proteins out of the cell. ♦ Aim of Work: - to review what is currently known about Plasmodium parasite as regard survival in RBCs, as studying the molecular processes and strategies that underlie these parasite-induced modifications of the host RBCs will lead to improved understanding of malaria pathogenesis and, perhaps, suggests new approaches against the disease.. Reviewed items include: 1- The molecular basis of Plasmodium attachment to RBCs and its dispersion from them. 2- The physiology of malaria parasite inside its host RBCs; as it is not yet understood even in the most general terms. 3- The mechanisms by which the parasite undertakes its basic housekeeping functions as maintaining its ionic composition, taking up nutrients or eliminating metabolic waste products. 4- The detailed molecular characteristics of the pathways involved in parasite metabolism. ♦ Conclusion: - At the present time, chemotherapy is still the mainstay to control most parasitic diseases, since antiparasitic vaccines are not yet available. P. falciparum, the most deadly of Plasmodium parasites infective to humans, has demonstrated the ability to become resistant to most, if not all, of the antimalarial agents presently available. There is an urgent need for the identification of new chemotherapeutic targets and the development of new antimalarial strategies. The knowledge gained over recent years about parasite-specific organelles, metabolic pathways and membrane transport mechanisms will certainly facilitate future drug development. The detailed structural and functional analysis of parasite enzymes and their comparison with their isofunctional counterparts in the host, paves the way for rational drug design. Exploiting knowledge gained about the transport processes operating in the infected cell might well enhance the success of these approaches. Directing a drug specifically to the infected cells, and to the parasites within, will enhance drug efficiency and decrease side effects. Understanding the mechanisms underlying antimalarial drug resistance would help us to circumvent the emergence of resistance to new generations of antimalarials.