Plasmodium berghei (P. berghei)

Plasmodium berghei is a unicellular protozoan parasite that causes malaria in rodents and serves as a fundamental model organism for studying human malaria (Wikipedia). Although it is an organism rather than a single molecule, it is used extensively to identify and validate therapeutic targets like the equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (PbENT1) and various plasmepsins (NIH). Research using P. berghei allows for phenotypic drug screening and in vivo efficacy testing of antimalarial agents such as chloroquine, artemisinin, and protease inhibitors (PubMed). Its genome shares high similarity with human-infecting species like Plasmodium falciparum, facilitating the study of conserved biological pathways and drug resistance mechanisms (PubMed). Transgenic P. berghei lines expressing fluorescent or bioluminescent reporters are essential tools for monitoring infection and evaluating new drug candidates in living hosts (RMgmDB). However, differences between rodent and human physiology require careful translation of findings to clinical settings.

Other names

Rodent malaria parasitePb

Interference with heme detoxification, induction of oxidative stress, and inhibition of essential parasite enzymes or proteases.