UC Davis

Malaria is one of the severe infectious diseases that has victimized about half a civilization billion people each year worldwide. The application of long-lasting insecticides is the main strategy to control malaria; however, a surge in antimalarial drug development is also taking a leading role to break off the infections. Although, recurring drug resistance can compromise the efficiency of both conventional and novel antimalarial medicines. The eradication of malaria is significantly contingent on discovering novel potent agents that are low cost and easy to administer. In this context, plant metabolites inhibit malaria infection progression and might potentially be utilized as an alternative treatment for malaria, such as artemisinin. Advances in genetic engineering technology, especially the advent of molecular farming, have made plants more versatile in producing protein drugs (PDs) to treat infectious diseases, including malaria. These recent developments in genetic modifications have enabled the production of native pharmaceutically active compounds and the accumulation of diverse heterologous proteins such as human antibodies, booster vaccines, and many PDs to treat infectious diseases and genetic disorders. This review will discuss the pivotal role of a plant-based production system that expresses natural antimalarial agents or host protein drugs to cure malaria infections. The potential of these natural and induced compounds will support modern healthcare systems in treating malaria infections, especially in developing countries to mitigate human fatalities.