Fig. 2.

OXA mode of action. OXA is a prodrug that is enzymatically activated in the parasite. A sulfotransferase (SULT) transfers a sulfuryl group from the co-factor 3′-phosphoadenine 5′ phosphosulfate (PAPS) to the 2-hydoxymethyl moiety. The sulfate ester reacts with nucleophiles in an S_N2-like reaction with the sulfate as the leaving group. This leads to covalent modification of DNA, proteins and other macromolecules and eventually to the death of the parasite. Adapted from Valentim et al. (2013), Taylor et al. (2017).