The Importance of Murine Models and Their Resultant In Vivo Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Efficacy Assessments for Antimalarial Drug Discovery

New chemical entities are consistently being investigated in antimalarial drug discovery and they require animal models for toxicity and efficacy testing. Murine models in searching for novel antimalarial drugs are inevitable because they show unique similarities to human physiology during malaria pathogenesis. Therefore, they provide a preclinical basis (following in vitro assessments of newly identified lead compounds) for further assessment in the drug development pipeline. Specific mouse strains, non-humanized and humanized, have successfully been infected with rodent Plasmodium species and the human Plasmodium falciparum respectively. Infected mice provide a platform for the assessment of treatment options being sought. In vivo pharmacokinetic evaluations are necessary when determining the fate of new lead compounds in addition to the efficacy assessment of these chemical entities. This review highlights specific murine models important for antimalarial drug discovery and their resultant critical in vivo pharmacokinetic, safety, and efficacy assessments necessary for making appropriate choices of lead compounds.