OVERCOMING ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE WITH OXIDATION
Now the issue of resistance of Plasmodium species to commonly used antiprotozoal antibiotics must be addressed. Quinine, chloroquine, mefloquine, quinacrine, modiaquine, primaquine and other quinoline-like antibiotics all work by blocking the heme detoxifying system inside the trophozoites. [55a-55gg] Many Plasmodial strains against which quinolines have repeatedly been used have found ways to adapt to these drugs and to acquire resistance. Research into the mechanisms of resistance has found that often resistance is accomplished by a meere upregulation of glutathione production and utilization. [56a-56j] Consequently oxidizing or otherwise depleting glutathione inside the parasite usually restores sensitivity to the quinoline antibiotics. [57a-57f] Therefore, protocols combining the use of oxidants with quinolines are under developement and already showing signs of success. [57g] In this context let us consider that no amount of intraplasmodial glutathione (GSH) could ever resist
exposure to a suffient dose of chlorine dioxide (ClO2). Note that each molecule of ClO2 can disable 1 to 5 molecules of glutathione depending on the reaction mechanism.
2(GSH) + 2(ClO2) -> 1(GSSG) + 2(H+) + 2(ClO2-) or 10(GSH) + 2(ClO2) -> 5(GSSG) + 2(H+) + 2(Cl-) + 4(H2O)