| abstract |
Cerebral malaria is the most deadly complication associated with P. falciparum infection, having a fatality rate of 15-25% in African children despite the use of effective antimalarial chemotherapy. The use of a glutamine antagonist, such as 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine, for treating cerebral edema and restoring blood-brain barrier integrity, such as in patients suffering from cerebral malaria, is described. In an animal model of cerebral malaria, animals administered 6- diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine at later stages of disease when blood-brain barrier dysfunction, brain swelling and hemorrhaging are evident, were effectively rescued from disease. |