title: Presence of pro-oxidants in plasma of patients suffering from falciparum malaria.
abstract: Haemolysis is the major cause of anaemia in acute Plasmodium falciparum malaria, destroying both parasitized and non-parasitized erythrocytes. Oxidative stress on erythrocytes is considered an important mechanism of haemolysis. Since non-parasitized erythrocytes are also destroyed, the extracellular environment of the erythrocyte may be a contributor to the oxidative stress. To examine the influence of extracellular factors on oxidative stress and haemolysis, baseline values of erythrocyte thio-barbituric acid-reactive substance (ETBAR) and haemolytic indices such as plasma haemoglobin and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were estimated in 19 children in Orissa (India) with acute P. falciparum malaria (haemoglobin level < or = 70 g/L). The indices were measured after incubating cross-matched isogroup adult control erythrocytes with patient's plasma, and patient's erythrocytes with adult control plasma both in presence of and in absence of t-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP). The procedure was repeated in the blood of 19 age- and sex-matched non-malarial children. Baseline plasma LDH, haemoglobin and ETBAR concentrations were significantly greater in malaria patients than non-malarial children (P < 0.001 for all). Post-incubation values of ETBAR and plasma haemoglobin were significantly higher (P < 0.05) when adult control erythrocytes were incubated with patient plasma, and plasma haemoglobin was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in incubates of patient erythrocytes with adult control plasma, than their respective pre-incubation values when incubated in absence of t-BHP. These differences were not noticed in the incubates of non-malarial children with healthy adult control samples. When incubated in presence of t-BHP all the post-incubation values in the patients were significantly higher than their respective pre-incubation values and post-incubation values without t-BHP (P < 0.001). In non-malarial control samples, only ETBAR concentration was higher than their respective pre-incubation and post-incubation values without t-BHP (P < 0.01). All the values for post-incubation samples with t-BHP were significantly higher in patients than controls (P < 0.001). In post-incubation samples of control erythrocytes and patient plasma in presence of t-BHP, ETBAR correlated inversely with pre-incubation haptoglobin values (P < 0.001). Thus, plasma of acute malaria patients appears to contain pro-oxidants, which may contribute to extracellular oxidative stress on both parasitized and non-parasitized erythrocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Ispat General Hospital, Rourkela 769 005, Orissa, India.
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Nanda
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Das
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000743:Anemia, Hemolytic / Q000097:blood / Q000469:parasitology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006461:Hemolysis; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species