Response of malaria parasites to artemisin compounds and oxidative stress

Artemisin and its derivates are important antimalarials used for treatment of P. falciparum malaria. While the mode of action has been attributed to oxidative stress, methylation and unfolded protein response, the exact mechanism of action of these antimalarials is not known. Here, we used cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA) on live P. falcparum cultures to investigate the MOA of artemesinins using different artemisinin derivates (DHA, ART, AS, ATM and a control drug deoxyART) and different oxidative (di-amide and tert-BOOH) and reducing (DTT,NAC) agents.