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The survival of the malaria parasite is highly dependent on withstanding physiological stresses, which are a proportional response to parasite invasion within the hostile human host environment. Plasmodium falciparum heat shock protein 70-1 (PfHSP70-1) plays a significant role through its network of interactions with the substrate scanners PfHSP40s, the functional maturation protein PfHSP90, the nucleotide exchange factor PfHSP110c/PfHSP70-z, apoptosis and parasite homeostasis agent PfHSP60, also the Clp machinery for the unfolding and degrading of misfolded proteins PfHSP100. These proteins work together to maintain the health and function of the parasite, but also possess individual functionalities. Here, we review the functional interplay between these heat shock proteins (HSPs), highlighting the central role of PfHSP70-1, its prospects in antimalarial drug discovery and possible implications in drug resistance.

Brachystegia boehmii leaf extracts are ethnopharmacological known to treat microbial infections in burn wounds. Coupling the action of the traditional plant medicine and nanotechnology gives rise to innovative strategies for healing burn wounds. This study aimed to determine the effect of B. boehmii extracts and their green synthesised nanoparticles on bacteria which infect burn wounds. The effects of water, chloroform and methanolic leaf extracts were compared with the effects of the phytosynthesised silver nanoparticles on burn wound infectious bacteria. Dried leaves were extracted using the maceration technique, followed by filtration and concentration of the filtrate using a rotavapor. Drying was achieved by using a centrivap and appropriate masses were dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide to achieve 100 mg/ml concentrations. Silver nanoparticles were synthesised using the methanol extract of the plant leaves and characterised using a UV–VIS spectrophotometer. The disc diffusion method was used to assess the bacterial susceptibility levels with Ciprofloxacin as the positive control and DMSO and 1 mM silver nitrate as the negative controls. The green synthesised silver nanoparticles produced a yellowish colour with a peak at 420 nm wavelength. They exhibited antibacterial activity against all five bacteria; Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis comparable to those of the B. boehmii leaf solvent extracts. A zone of inhibition of 20 ± 1.00 mm was obtained on the action of B. boehmii leaf extract against P. aeruginosa. Plant synthesised nanoparticles exhibited broad spectrum antibacterial activity and hence are potential future burn wound antibacterial therapeutics.

Synthetic biology (SynBio) is an interdisciplinary field that has developed rapidly in the last two decades. It involves the design and construction of new biological systems and processes from standardized biological components, networks and synthetic pathways. The goal of Synbio is to create logical forms of cellular control. Biological systems and their parts can be redesigned to carry out completely new functions. SynBio is poised to greatly impact human health, the environment, biofuels and chemical production with huge economic benefits. SynBio presents opportunities for the highly agro-based African economies to overcome setbacks that threaten food security: The setbacks are brought about by climate change, land degradation, over-reliance on food imports, global competition, and water and energy security issues among others. With appropriate regulatory frameworks and systems in place, the benefits of harnessing SynBio to boost development in African economies by far potentially outweigh the risks. Countries that are already using GMOs such as South Africa and Kenya should find the application of SynBio seamless, as it would be a matter of expanding the already existing regulations and policies for GMO use.