Heme detoxification protein (Plasmodium falciparum) (PfHDP)

Heme detoxification protein (PfHDP) is an enzyme in Plasmodium falciparum essential for the detoxification of heme released during hemoglobin digestion within infected erythrocytes. Free heme is highly toxic due to its pro-oxidant activity; the parasite converts it to insoluble, non-toxic hemozoin via the activity of PfHDP and potentially other accessory proteins and lipids. HDP is one of the most potent enzymes for this conversion and is functionally conserved across the Plasmodium genus. PfHDP, localized mainly in the food vacuole, binds heme molecules and catalyzes their dimerization and crystallization into hemozoin. The formation of hemozoin is the target of most quinoline antimalarials, making PfHDP and other heme detoxification pathway proteins attractive drug targets for antimalarial therapy[1][4][5]. Drug resistance and redundancy in the heme detoxification pathway are therapeutic challenges, and direct drug inhibitors of PfHDP are under investigation.

Other names

Heme detoxification proteinHDPPfHDPPlasmodium heme detoxification protein

Inhibition of heme polymerization or crystallization to hemozoin, leading to toxic heme accumulation and parasite death[5][6].