Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41309744›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

The impact of Iso-mukaadial acetate on Plasmodium falciparum transcriptional gene regulation.

Nicolaas Salomane, Thendo Mafuna, Farhahna Allie, Jabu Sam Mahlangu, Robyn Lyenne van Zyl, Ofentse Pooe, Mthokozisi Simelane

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Nicolaas SalomaneDepartment of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, 2006, South Africa.
Thendo MafunaDepartment of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, 2006, South Africa.
Farhahna AllieDepartment of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, 2006, South Africa.
Jabu Sam MahlanguPharmacology Division, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa.
Robyn Lyenne van ZylPharmacology Division, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2193, South Africa.
Ofentse PooeDepartment Discipline of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, University Road, Westville, 3629, South Africa.
Mthokozisi SimelaneDepartment of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, 2006, South Africa. msimelane@uj.ac.za.

Funding

National Research Foundation (NRF) in South Africa grant number: 131108
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Malaria remains prevalent globally despite various intervention strategies aimed at preventing its transmission. With the decreasing effectiveness of antimalarial drugs, medicinal plant extracts have been proposed as alternatives. Iso-mukaadial acetate extracted from Warburgia salutaris has shown anti-plasmodial activity, but the mechanism of inhibition is unknown. In this study, RNA sequencing analysis of P. falciparum NF54 strain treated with IMA was conducted to determine the possible targets of IMA. The expression profiles of P. falciparum genes regulated by IMA and chloroquine (antimalarial control) during the intraerythrocytic stage were analyzed with gene ontology tools, including PlasmoDB, ShinyGO and g: Profiler. IMA and chloroquine upregulated genes linked to parasite biological processes and cell adhesion molecular binding functions, including PfEMP1, RIFIN, and STEVOR. Chloroquine specifically downregulated DNA replication processes involving DNA replication licensing factors MCM3 and DNA helicase, while IMA downregulated peptidyl-proline modification and glycolytic pathways. KEGG analysis suggested glycolysis-gluconeogenesis and pentose phosphate pathway enzymes (e.g., glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD)-6-phosphogluconolactonase) as theoretical IMA targets, whose suppression could hypothetically reduce ATP and NADPH production, weakening parasite energy supply and antioxidant defenses. The inhibition of DNA replication components (MCM complex, DNA topoisomerases) by IMA, and the downregulation of DNA replication/repair proteins by chloroquine, may both impair genome integrity, contributing to the observed anti-plasmodial effects. IMA treatment was assumed to be associated with impairment of parasite energy metabolism, redox balance and DNA replication machinery. These effects differ from chloroquine, which primarily targeted DNA replication and repair processes, yet both drugs upregulated adhesion-associated gene families. Changes in the expression of metabolic and replication genes induced by IMA suggest the compounds potential as an anti-plasmodial candidate, warranting further biochemical validation of its mechanism of effect.

Indexed as

AcetatesAntimalarialsGene Expression RegulationPlasmodium falciparumTranscription, GeneticChloroquineDNA ReplicationGene Expression ProfilingHumansProtozoan ProteinsAcetatesAntimalarialsChloroquineProtozoan ProteinsCell adhesionChloroquineGene regulationGlycolysisIso-mukaadial acetatePlasmodium falciparumRNA sequencing

Identifiers

PMID41309744
PMCPMC12661014

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.