The Effect of Free Radicals Induced by Paraquat and Copper on the In Vitro Development of Plasmodium falciparum

The role of transition metals in paraquat toxicity was studied in cultures of Plasmodium falciparum. We showed that addition of copper led to an enhancement of the plasmodium killing, whereas addition of chelating agents. such as desferrioxamine and diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid markedly reduced the toxic effects. Parsitized G6PD deficient erythrocytes were more sensitive than parasitized normal eryth-rocytes to copper and to the combination of copper and paraquat.     

Plasmodium falciparum Gametocyte Formation In Vitro: Its Stimulation by Phorbol Diesters and by 8-Bromo Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphateau WILLIAM TRAGER

. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate increased the number of gametocytes by 50 to 100% in well or petri dish cultures of the HB-3 clone of Plasmodium falciparum . Phorbol dibutyrate had a similar effect. The optimal concentration for each of these agents was 20 ng/ml or approximately 30 nM. No effect of forskolin was found, other than a general inhibition of growth at concentrations over 10 μM. An inhibitor of phosphodiesterase, 8-bromo cyclic adenosine monophosphate (at concentrations of 0.1 and 1.0 μM) also significantly increased the number of gametocytes formed by this clone.     

Effect of Low Temperature On the In Vitro Growth of Plasmodium falciparum

ABSTRACT. The effect of low incubation temperature on synchronized cultures of Plasmodium falciparum was studied. Young trophozoites that were maintained at 28°C matured slowly and invaded poorly. Growth seemed to arrest when parasites reached a maturation equivalent to 30 h, although they reestablished their growth normally when returned to 37°C. On the other hand, 36-h synchronized parasites that were transferred to 28°C completed their cell cycle with a 12-16 h delay, but without changes in the parasite as seen by light microscopy and without a diminution in the efficiency of the invasion or in the incorporation of ³⁵S-methionine. These results might be useful for obtaining parasites at defined stages of development at the desired time.     

The mechanism of erythrocyte invasion by the malarial parasite, Plasmodium falciparum

Plasmodium falciparum is the most virulent causative agent of malaria in man accounting for 80% of all malarial infections and 90% of the one million annual deaths attributed to malaria. P. falciparum is a unicellular, Apicomplexan parasite, that spends part of its lifecycle in the mosquito and part in man and it has evolved a special form of motility that enables it to burrow into animal cells, a process termed “host cell invasion”. The acute, life threatening, phase of malarial infection arises when the merozoite form of the parasite undergoes multiple cycles of red blood cell invasion and rapid proliferation. Here, we discuss the molecular machinery that enables malarial parasites to invade red blood cells and we focus particularly on the ATP-driven acto-myosin motor that powers invasion.     

In Vitro Resistance Selections for Plasmodium falciparum Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase Inhibitors Give Mutants with Multiple Point Mutations in the Drug-binding Site and Altered Growth

Malaria is a preventable and treatable disease; yet half of the world''s population lives at risk of infection, and an estimated 660,000 people die of malaria-related causes every year. Rising drug resistance threatens to make malaria untreatable, necessitating both the discovery of new antimalarial agents and the development of strategies to identify and suppress the emergence and spread of drug resistance. We focused on in-development dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) inhibitors. Characterizing resistance pathways for antimalarial agents not yet in clinical use will increase our understanding of the potential for resistance. We identified resistance mechanisms of Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) DHODH inhibitors via in vitro resistance selections. We found 11 point mutations in the PfDHODH target. Target gene amplification and unknown mechanisms also contributed to resistance, albeit to a lesser extent. These mutant parasites were often hypersensitive to other PfDHODH inhibitors, which immediately suggested a novel combination therapy approach to preventing resistance. Indeed, a combination of wild-type and mutant-type selective inhibitors led to resistance far less often than either drug alone. The effects of point mutations in PfDHODH were corroborated with purified recombinant wild-type and mutant-type PfDHODH proteins, which showed the same trends in drug response as the cognate cell lines. Comparative growth assays demonstrated that two mutant parasites grew less robustly than their wild-type parent, and the purified protein of those mutants showed a decrease in catalytic efficiency, thereby suggesting a reason for the diminished growth rate. Co-crystallography of PfDHODH with three inhibitors suggested that hydrophobic interactions are important for drug binding and selectivity.     

Regulation of Plasmodium falciparum Development by Calcium-dependent Protein Kinase 7 (PfCDPK7)

Second messengers such as phosphoinositides and calcium are known to control diverse processes involved in the development of malaria parasites. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms and pathways need to be unraveled, which may be achieved by understanding the regulation of effectors of these second messengers. Calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK) family members regulate diverse parasitic processes. Because CDPKs are absent from the host, these kinases are considered as potential drug targets. We have dissected the function of an atypical CDPK from Plasmodium falciparum, PfCDPK7. The domain architecture of PfCDPK7 is very different from that of other CDPKs; it has a pleckstrin homology domain adjacent to the kinase domain and two calcium-binding EF-hands at its N terminus. We demonstrate that PfCDPK7 interacts with PI(4,5)P₂ via its pleckstrin homology domain, which may guide its subcellular localization. Disruption of PfCDPK7 caused a marked reduction in the growth of the blood stage parasites, as maturation of rings to trophozoites was markedly stalled. In addition, parasite proliferation was significantly attenuated. These findings shed light on an important role for PfCDPK7 in the erythrocytic asexual cycle of malaria parasites.     

Caspase-12抑制剂对百草枯中毒大鼠肝损伤的保护作用

目的:观察caspase-12抑制剂Z-ATAD-FMK对百草枯染毒大鼠肝脏caspase-12蛋白表达和肝细胞凋亡的影响,以及通过血清SOD和MDA的检测,探讨其对百草枯中毒大鼠肝脏保护作用和对机体氧化应激反应的作用。方法:50只健康Wistar大鼠随机分三组:A组为正常对照组;B组为模型组(PQ染毒);C组抑制剂组(PQ/Z-ATAD-FMK),于3d、7d处死B组和C组各10只大鼠。取血检测ALT、TBIL、SOD和MDA;HE染色观察肝组织病理学变化;免疫组化法检测caspase-12蛋白;二苯胺法检测细胞凋亡率。SPSS18.0统计分析。结果:Z-ATAD-FMK抑制剂组ALT、TBIL、MDA值低于模型组(P0.05),SOD高于模型组(P0.05);caspase-12蛋白表达和细胞凋亡率亦低于模型组(P0.05);HE染色显示凋亡和坏死程度也较模型组轻。结论:Caspase-12抑制剂Z-ATAD-FMK能减少百草枯中毒大鼠肝脏caspase-12蛋白表达和肝细胞凋亡率,减轻肝细胞坏死,对肝脏具有保护作用,同时可以抑制百草枯中毒大鼠的氧化应激反应。     

Role of Oxygen Free Radicals in Respiratory Distress Induced by Arachidonic Acid In the Rat

The purpose of our present study is the possible implication of oxygen free radicals in the respiratory distress induced in rats by intravenous administration of arachidonic acid (20mg/kg). The respiratory frequency was measured and plasma TXB2 concentration was assayed by RIA from blood withdrawn I min after arachidonic acid administration. The substances studied were: SOD, catalase, manifold, DMSO, BHT, imidazole. All the drugs, except imidazole, significantly protect the rats from the respiratory distress induced by arachidonic acid. SOD, catalase, BHT and imidatole inhibit whereas mannitol and DMSO increase the plasma levels of TXB2. We suggest that oxygen free radicals generated in the respiratory burst induced by arachidonic acid are mainly responsible for the consequent respiratory distress.     

The Genotypic and Phenotypic Stability of Plasmodium falciparum Field Isolates in Continuous In Vitro Culture

The Plasmodium falciparum in vitro culture system is critical for genotypic and phenotypic analyses of the parasites. For genotypic analysis, the genomic DNA can be obtained directly from the patient blood sample or from culture adapted parasites whereas for phenotypic analysis, immediate ex vivo or in vitro culture adapted parasites are used. However, parasite biology studies have not investigated whether culture adaptation process affects genotypic and/or phenotypic characteristics of the parasites in short- or long-term cultures. Here, we set out to study the dynamics and stability of parasite genetic and phenotypic profiles as field isolate parasites were adapted in continuous cultures. Parasites collected from three different patients presenting with uncomplicated malaria were adapted and maintained in drug-free continuous cultures. Aliquots from the continuous cultures were collected every 24–48 hours for analyses. Each aliquot was treated as a separate parasite sample. For genetic analysis, microsatellite (MS) typing and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analyses of 23 drug resistance markers were done. The 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC₅₀) for some of the samples were also established for four antimalarial drugs. Samples from each patient (parasite-line) were compared as they were passed through the continuous culture. Data revealed genotypic and phenotypic profiles for the three parasite-lines fluctuated from one generation to the next with no specific pattern or periodicity. With few exceptions, multilocus analysis revealed samples from each parasite-line had high genetic diversity with unique haplotypes. Interestingly, changes in MS and SNP profiles occurred simultaneously. The difference in the IC₅₀s of samples in each parasite-line reached statistical significance. However, phenotypic changes did not correspond or correlate to genotypic changes. Our study revealed parasite genetic and phenotypic characteristics fluctuates in short- and long-term cultures, which indicates parasite genetic information obtained even in short cultures is likely to be different from the natural infection parasites.     

In vitro efficacy of 7-benzylamino-1-isoquinolinamines against Plasmodium falciparum related to the efficacy of chalcones

A series of 1,7-diaminoisoquinolinamines, that are expected to mediate antimalarial activity by the same mechanism employed by the chalcones, were produced. Six 7-benzylamino-1-isoquinolinamines were found to be submicromolar inhibitors in vitro of drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum, with the best possessing activity comparable to chloroquine. Despite being developed from a lead that is a DHFR inhibitor, these compounds do not mediate their antimalarial effects by inhibition of DHFR.     

百草枯和代森锰所致帕金森病小鼠黑质GFAP的表达变化

目的:研究联合应用百草枯(Paraquat,PQ)和代森锰(Maneb,MB)对帕金森病(Parkinson′s disease,PD)小鼠脑黑质神经胶质原纤维酸性蛋白质(Glial fibrillary acldic protein,GFAP)的表达变化。方法:PQ/MB建立C57BL/6J小鼠PD模型,利用免疫组化方法观察不同时间点小鼠黑质区酪氨酸羟化酶(Tyrosine hydroxylase,TH)和GFAP表达变化及相互关系。结果:模型组黑质致密部(Substantial nigra pars compacta,SNpc)区残留的TH阳性神经元呈进行性下降趋势,显著低于对照组的相应时间点(P＜0．01),黑质区星形胶质细胞反应性增多并呈现明显活化状态。结论:PO/MB能诱导小鼠产生渐进性且不可逆的PD样改变,星形胶质细胞可能参与多巴胺能神经元的病理损伤过程。     

Investigation on Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax infection influencing host haematological factors in tribal dominant and malaria endemic population of Jharkhand

The study was undertaken to elucidate the association of host haematological and biochemical indices in Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax malaria in order to explore whether these parameters are unique to disease or act as a potential diagnostic marker.Haematological and biochemical parameters in 106 malarial patients and 33 healthy subjects were evaluated.Following parameters were significantly lower in all infection types (P. vivax, P. falciparum and mixed infection); haemoglobin, blood sugar, PCV and blood urea, while ESR is significantly higher in all types of infection whereas serum bilirubin and creatinine are significantly higher except mixed and vivax infection, respectively. Interestingly, parasitaemia, temperature and age are significantly correlated with blood urea, blood sugar and ESR respectively in vivax infection whereas parasitaemia with PCV and blood sugar and age with PCV in falciparum infection.Malaria infected subjects exhibited alterations in some haematological parameters with low haemoglobin, blood sugar and PCV whereas elevated ESR and serum bilirubin being the important findings observed in our study. These evaluations could be considered to be reliable clinical and biochemical markers for promising diagnostic potential during clinical malarial infection in combination with other genetic and classical microscopic parameters. Haematological evaluation could help in prompt and accurate diagnosis and prevent disease progression by facilitating physicians in clinical correlation for better drug regime.     

百草枯中毒大鼠TNF-a、IL-10的表达及大黄保护作用的研究

目的：观察大黄对急性百草枯中毒大鼠TNF-α、IL-10的干预作用,探讨其可能的作用机制。方法：90只SD大鼠随机分为生理盐水对照组（A组）、PQ（60 mg/kg）灌胃染毒组（B组）、生大黄（300mg/kg.d）干预组（C组）,每组30只。中毒后6h、24h、72h分批处死存活的大鼠,并且检测大鼠血浆TNF-α、IL-10水平。结果：B组、C组TNF-α、IL-10水平在染毒后6h开始升高,72h达到高峰,与A组相比,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05、P〈0.01）,在相同时间点C组TNF-α和IL-10的表达低于B组,差异均有统计学意义（P〈0.01）。B组、C组血浆TNF-α、IL-10水平与中毒时间呈显著正性相关关系（r=0.849,P〈0.01;r=0.790,P〈0.01;r=0.0.943,P〈0.01;r=0.892,P〈0.01）。结论：大黄能够通过降低百草枯中毒大鼠体内的TNF-α、IL-10水平,减轻百草枯对大鼠的损伤作用     

环己亚胺对盐诱导游离脯氨酸累积的影响

环己亚胺(CHX)单独作用会增加高梁苗中游离脯氨酸的含量,原因可能有:一是CHX抑制了根的正常吸收功能,导致植株失水,游离脯氨酸增加;二是CHX抑制了蛋白质合成,使总的游离氨基酸累积,从而也表现出游离脯氨酸含量的增加,后者可能更为主要。为此,用CHX研究与脯氨酸合成有关的基因活性化或表达时,一定要考虑CHX单独的作用。NaCl诱导的游离脯氨酸的累积可被CHX处理所抑制。在NaCl处理2～4h内加CHX后,抑制效果几乎可达到100％,以后随CHX处理的时间越长,其抑制作用越小。     

Direct Tests of Enzymatic Heme Degradation by the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium falciparum

Malaria parasites generate vast quantities of heme during blood stage infection via hemoglobin digestion and limited de novo biosynthesis, but it remains unclear if parasites metabolize heme for utilization or disposal. Recent in vitro experiments with a heme oxygenase (HO)-like protein from Plasmodium falciparum suggested that parasites may enzymatically degrade some heme to the canonical HO product, biliverdin (BV), or its downstream metabolite, bilirubin (BR). To directly test for BV and BR production by P. falciparum parasites, we DMSO-extracted equal numbers of infected and uninfected erythrocytes and developed a sensitive LC-MS/MS assay to quantify these tetrapyrroles. We found comparable low levels of BV and BR in both samples, suggesting the absence of HO activity in parasites. We further tested live parasites by targeted expression of a fluorescent BV-binding protein within the parasite cytosol, mitochondrion, and plant-like plastid. This probe could detect exogenously added BV but gave no signal indicative of endogenous BV production within parasites. Finally, we recombinantly expressed and tested the proposed heme degrading activity of the HO-like protein, PfHO. Although PfHO bound heme and protoporphyrin IX with modest affinity, it did not catalyze heme degradation in vivo within bacteria or in vitro in UV absorbance and HPLC assays. These observations are consistent with PfHO''s lack of a heme-coordinating His residue and suggest an alternative function within parasites. We conclude that P. falciparum parasites lack a canonical HO pathway for heme degradation and thus rely fully on alternative mechanisms for heme detoxification and iron acquisition during blood stage infection.     

Targeting the intersubunit cavity of Plasmodium falciparum glutathione reductase by a novel natural inhibitor: Computational and experimental evidence

Glutathione reductase (GR), a homodimeric FAD-dependent disulfide reductase, is essential for redox homeostasis of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and has been proposed as an antimalarial drug target. In this study we performed a virtual screening against PfGR, using the structures of about 170,000 natural compounds. Analysis of the two top-scoring molecules, TTB and EPB, indicated that these ligands are likely to interact with the homodimer intersubunit cavity of PfGR with high binding energy scores of −9.67 and −9.60 kcal/mol, respectively. Both compounds had a lower affinity for human GR due to differences in structure and electrostatic properties. In order to assess the putative interactions in motion, molecular dynamics simulations were carried out for 30 ns, resulting in TTB being more dynamically and structurally favored than EPB. A closely related compound MDPI 21618 was tested on recombinant PfGR and hGR, resulting in IC₅₀ values of 11.3 ± 2.5 μM and 10.2 ± 1.7 μM, respectively. Kinetic characterization of MDPI 21618 on PfGR revealed a mixed-type inhibition with respect to glutathione disulfide (K_i = 9.7 ± 2.3 μM) and an uncompetitive inhibition with respect to NADPH. Furthermore, MDPI 21618 was found to inhibit the growth of the chloroquine-sensitive P. falciparum strain 3D7 with an IC₅₀ of 3.2 ± 1.9 μM and the chloroquine-resistant Dd2 strain with an IC₅₀ of 3.2 + 1.6 μM. In drug combination assays with chloroquine, artemisinin, or mefloquine MDPI 21618 showed an antagonistic action, which might suggest partially overlapping routes of action. This study further substantiates research on PfGR as a potential antimalarial drug target.     

Effects of Mitochondrial Protein Synthesis Inhibitors on the Incorporation of Isoleucine into Plasmodium falciparum In Vitro1

Plasmodium falciparum was grown in human erythrocytes in vitro and the effect of chloramphenicol, erythromycin, and tetracycline on growth and maturation of the parasites and on their ability to incorporate [³H]isoleucine into protein was observed. Exposure of rings to high concentrations of chloramphenicol had little effect on subsequent maturation of the rings whereas brief (4 h) exposure of trophozoites caused a dose-dependent inhibition of subsequent ring formation. Incorporation of [³H]isoleucine into protein was not affected during at least 6 h of exposure to high concentration of the three drugs examined, but appreciable inhibition was observed after 21 h, with chloramphenicol being the least effective inhibitor. These results suggest that there is a stage-specific effect of inhibition of mitochondrial protein synthesis on subsequent development and that the mitochondria are essential for growth and development even though they lack a functional Krebs cycle.     

活性氧自由基诱发的胆红素聚合、聚集及稳定自由基的形成

 为了深入了解胆红色素类结石形成的触发机制,我们研究了活性氧自由基与胆红素的作用。结果表明:·O_2和·OH均可诱发胆红素聚合和聚集,井使胆红素转变成稳定的自由基,从而引起脂质过氧化和透明质酸分子降解。经自由基处理的胆红素溶解度减小,粒度分布趋向颗粒变大.根据以上事实,重点讨论了自由基触发的胆色素类结石的致病过程。     

Proteomic analysis of zygote and ookinete stages of the avian malaria parasite Plasmodium gallinaceum delineates the homologous proteomes of the lethal human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum

Delineation of the complement of proteins comprising the zygote and ookinete, the early developmental stages of Plasmodium within the mosquito midgut, is fundamental to understand initial molecular parasite-vector interactions. The published proteome of Plasmodium falciparum does not include analysis of the zygote/ookinete stages, nor does that of P. berghei include the zygote stage or secreted proteins. P. gallinaceum zygote, ookinete, and ookinete-secreted/released protein samples were prepared and subjected to Multidimensional protein identification technology (MudPIT). Peptides of P. gallinaceum zygote, ookinete, and ookinete-secreted proteins were identified by MS/MS, mapped to ORFs (> 50 amino acids) in the extent P. gallinaceum whole genome sequence, and then matched to homologous ORFs in P. falciparum. A total of 966 P. falciparum ORFs encoding orthologous proteins were identified; just over 40% of these predicted proteins were found to be hypothetical. A majority of putative proteins with predicted secretory signal peptides or transmembrane domains were hypothetical proteins. This analysis provides a more comprehensive view of the hitherto unknown proteome of the early mosquito midgut stages of P. falciparum. The results underpin more robust study of Plasmodium-mosquito midgut interactions, fundamental to the development of novel strategies of blocking malaria transmission.     

Morphology and kinetics of the three distinct phases of red blood cell invasion by Plasmodium falciparum merozoites

The invasion of red blood cells (RBCs) is an essential event in the life cycle of all malaria-causing Plasmodium parasites; however, there are major gaps in our knowledge of this process. Here, we use video microscopy to address the kinetics of RBC invasion in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Under in vitro conditions merozoites generally recognise new target RBCs within 1 min of their release from their host RBC. Parasite entry ensues and is complete on average 27.6 s after primary contact. This period can be divided into two distinct phases. The first is an ∼11 s ‘pre-invasion’ phase that involves an often dramatic RBC deformation and recovery process. The second is the classical ‘invasion’ phase where the merozoite becomes internalised within the RBC in a ∼17 s period. After invasion, a third ‘echinocytosis’ phase commences when about 36 s after every successful invasion a dramatic dehydration-type morphology was adopted by the infected RBC. During this phase, the echinocytotic effect reached a peak over the next 23.4 s, after which the infected RBC recovered over a 5-11 min period. By then the merozoite had assumed an amoeboid-like state and was apparently free in the cytoplasm. A comparison of our data with that of an earlier study of the distantly related primate parasite Plasmodium knowlesi indicated remarkable similarities, suggesting that the kinetics of invasion are conserved across the Plasmodium genus. This study provides a morphological and kinetic framework onto which the invasion-associated physiological and molecular events can be overlaid.