Mystery of quinine biosynthesis solved with newly discovered enzymes
For over 350 years, quinine and other extracts from the cinchona tree (Cinchona spp.) were the only effective medicines against malaria, a tropical fever caused by single-celled parasites of the genus Plasmodium and transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. The name "cinchona tree" actually originates fr...
Image: Phys.org
For over 350 years, quinine and other extracts from the cinchona tree (Cinchona spp.) were the only effective medicines against malaria, a tropical fever caused by single-celled parasites of the genus Plasmodium and transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes. The name "cinchona tree" actually originates from South America and comes from the Quechua term quina-quina, meaning "bark of barks."
Originally published at Phys.org
