Fe2+-heme in digestive vacuole

Fe2+-heme in the digestive vacuole refers to the ferrous (Fe2+) form of the heme molecule liberated during hemoglobin digestion by malaria parasites such as *Plasmodium falciparum*. The digestive vacuole acts as a lysosome-like organelle where proteases break down hemoglobin; the resulting free heme (primarily in the Fe2+ oxidation state) is highly toxic to the parasite. The parasite converts it to an inert crystalline form called hemozoin; inhibition of this biocrystallization is the basis for several key antimalarial drug classes, including chloroquine. Fe2+-heme itself is not a receptor, enzyme, or protein but a molecular species and a critical intermediary in *Plasmodium* biology—its accumulation or improper detoxification is a validated target for antimalarial chemotherapy. This target is atypical (not a conventional protein drug target), and the entry may be considered non-standard or “incorrect” by strict pharmacological target nomenclature[1].

Other names

heme iron(II) in digestive vacuoleFe(II)-heme in *Plasmodium* digestive vacuoleheme iron in food vacuole

Inhibition of heme biocrystallization (blockade of hemozoin formation) Accumulation of toxic Fe2+-heme in the vacuole, leading to parasite death