Seacucumber and Malaria
Posted in Malaria is an infectious disease caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium and invade human erythrocytes. Treatment consists of eradication of malaria causes malaria vectors (mosquitoes Anophelini) and medical treatment to patients. However, when this happens a lot of vector resistance to pesticides and anti-malarial drug resistance is widespread and progressive. Development of vaccines for prevention efforts are also made, but until now there is no vaccine that can be used.
The malaria parasite’s life cycle consists of exogenous sexual phase (sporogoni) in Anophelini mosquitoes and asexual phase (skizogoni) in vertebrate hosts including humans. In Anophelini mosquitoes, Plasmodium will happen ookinet formation of micro-and makrogametosit in the midgut and then will develop into sporozoites that ended in the mosquito salivary glands Anophelini.
Sea cucumber (Cucumaria echinata) is one of the class Holothuroidea Invertebrate sea. These animals contain many beneficial substances, such as: collagen, mineral, mucopolysaccharide, vitamins, protein lectin, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), dekosaheksaenoat acid (DHA) and amino acids. Lectins are proteins that bind specifically carbohydrates. Lectin CEL-III (Cucumaria echinata lectin-III) is one type lectin specific form of galactose / N-acetylgalactosamine (Gal / GalNac) isolated from Cucumaria echinata body fluid.
CEL-III has hemolytic activity and cytotoxicity against malaria parasites by forming ion-permeable through the pores in the membrane of target cells (erythrocytes) by the binding of carbohydrate chains by N-terminal part of CEL-III. CEL-III also acts as a poison against the ookinet and induce cells to undergo apoptosis. So that CEL-III can inhibit the life cycle of the parasite in the mosquito Anophelini.
This is done by way of establishment of transgenic mosquitoes that combines Anophelini sea cucumber lectin gene with part of a mosquito gene so that the mosquito would release lectin into its gut during feeding. CEL-III protein on the malaria vectors is expected to be the best solution in the treatment of malaria interventions.