New Drug Turns Human Blood Toxic to Malaria-Transmitting Mosquitoes

New Drug Turns Human Blood Toxic to Malaria-Transmitting Mosquitoes: According to recent research, nitisinone, a drug already in use for the treatment of two genetic disorders, shows promise as a means to control malaria spread.

A study indicates that nitisinone can render human blood lethal to malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

Nitisinone, currently approved for treating rare genetic diseases such as tyrosinemia type 1 and alkaptonuria, inhibits an enzyme known as 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD). This enzyme plays a crucial role in the tyrosine detoxification pathway. By blocking HPPD, nitisinone prevents the harmful buildup of certain chemicals in patients suffering from these conditions. Recent findings reveal that blood-feeding insects, including Anopheles mosquitoes responsible for transmitting Plasmodium parasites that cause malaria, also rely on HPPD for digesting their blood meals.

A study published on March 26 in Science Translational Medicine presents initial evidence that treating human blood with nitisinone could make it toxic to Anopheles mosquitoes. The drug interferes with the HPPD enzyme, making it difficult for mosquitoes to detoxify an amino acid, tyrosine, found in blood, ultimately leading to their demise after feeding. Researchers hope that with additional study, nitisinone could be repurposed as a novel method for malaria control. This could be particularly beneficial as traditional insecticides are becoming less effective due to increasing mosquito resistance.

However, co-author Alvaro Acosta-Serrano, a professor of molecular parasitology and vector biology at the University of Notre Dame, cautioned that nitisinone is not a "silver bullet." The drug will not prevent malaria infections nor cure those who are already infected. However, it could help reduce disease transmission by decreasing the mosquito population that carries Plasmodium parasites.

Live science