Paclitaxel-induced tubulin dysfunction stalls parasite development: synergistic potential with artemisinin against resistant strains

models. This finding confirms PTX's translational potential and positions it as a novel tubulin-targeting partner for DHA, offering a promising strategy to combat drug-resistant malaria while safeguarding the efficacy of artemisinin-based combination therapies.IMPORTANCEIn the current landscape of next-generation antimalarial development, preference will be given to compounds with activity against emerging drug-resistant parasite strains. However, identifying such effective molecules through traditional diversity library screenings remains challenging. As a result, the repurposing of old drugs has emerged as a prevalent and pragmatic strategy in the search for novel antimalarial agents. Our findings highlight a significant enhancement in combinatorial therapeutic efficacy, positioning paclitaxel as a promising partner drug for overcoming emerging drug resistance in malaria parasites. Therefore, we believe that this work will confer a broad interest to the readers of different disciplines, including antimalarial development.