Antimalarial drug resistance is an enormous global threat. Recently, antimicrobial peptides\n(AMPs) are emerging as a new source of antimalarials. In this study, an AMP LZ1 derived from\nsnake cathelicidin was identified with antimalarial activity. In the in vitro antiplasmodial assay,\nLZ1 showed strong suppression of blood stage Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) with an IC50\nvalue of 3.045 microM. In the in vivo antiplasmodial assay, LZ1 exerted a significant antimalarial activity\nagainst Plasmodium berghei (P. berghei) in a dose- and a time- dependent manner. In addition, LZ1\nexhibited anti-inflammatory effects and attenuated liver-function impairment during P. berghei\ninfection. Furthermore, by employing inhibitors against glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation in\nerythrocytes, LZ1 specifically inhibited adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production in parasite-infected\nerythrocyte by selectively inhibiting the pyruvate kinase activity. In conclusion, the present study\ndemonstrates that LZ1 is a potential candidate for novel antimalarials development.
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