The appearance of heme, an organic ring surrounding an iron atom, in evolution forever
changed the efficiency with which organisms were able to generate energy, utilize gasses …

A blood-sucking habit appeared independently several times in the course of arthropod
evolution. However, from more than a million species of insects and arachnids presently …

The bloodsucking hemipteran Rhodnius prolixus is a vector of Chagas' disease, which
affects 7–8 million people today in Latin America. In contrast to other hematophagous …

Formation of malaria pigment or haemozoin is the major route of haem detoxification in the
malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum as well as several other species of …

The mechanistic basis of hepatic dysfunction, a clinically significant complication in malaria,
remains largely obscure. Although oxidative stress and associated apoptosis trigger hepatic …

The recent literature on hemozoin/β-hematin formation is reviewed, with an emphasis on the
mechanism of its formation. Recent findings from unrelated organisms that produce …

Schistosomiasis is a neglected parasitic tropical disease that claims around 200,000 human
lives every year. Praziquantel (PZQ), the only drug recommended by the World Health …

Hemozoin (Hz) is a heme crystal produced upon the digestion of hemoglobin (Hb) by blood-
feeding organisms as a main mechanism of heme disposal. The structure of Hz consists of …

Heme is an iron-containing porphyrin ring that serves as a prosthetic group in proteins that
function in diverse metabolic pathways. Heme is also a major source of bioavailable iron in …

Background The parasitic trematode Schistosoma mansoni is one of the major causative
agents of human schistosomiasis, which afflicts 200 million people worldwide. Praziquantel …