**6. New therapeutic approaches for treatment of plasmodium falciparum**

The antimalarial treatment so far recommended for P. falciparum consists of drug combinations containing Artemisinin derivatives (ACT) known as artemisinin combination therapy with other antimalarials, including quinolone compounds such as Amodiaquine and Mefloquine. The mechanism of action of the quinolones involve the inhibition of hematin polymerization, thus intoxicating the parasite with the ferriprotoporphyrin groups generated by hemoglobin degradation. Other antimalarials used in the ACT therapy include-Pyrimethamine and proguanil, which inhibit the tetrahydrofolic acid cycle (tetrahydropterate reductase, limiting the formation of folic acid, an important cofactor in DNA biosynthesis. Despite the arsenal of drugs available for malaria treatment, the disease remains a worldwide public health problem. P. falciparum develops resistance under selected drug pressure. Plasmodium vivax is the most prevalent human malaria parasite world over and has been shown to be resistant to chloroquine, including in Brazil and other countries where malaria is endemic. Various efforts have been made to develop new drugs (antimalarials), but resistance to drugs has limited the search. The continued search for new molecular targets for drug design has broadened the therapeutic arsenal and strategies to fight drug resistance in human malarial infestation.
