title: Immune-mediated parasite clearance in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei following treatment with manzamine A.
abstract: Manzamine A, a sponge-derived alkaloid, was recently shown to possess in vivo antimalarial activity against the blood stages of the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei. A single intraperitoneal dose of 100 micromol/kg of manzamine A suppressed parasite growth but was followed by parasite recrudescence. Forty percent of mice with recrudescing parasites were able to recover and clear the fulminating parasitaemia. Examination of sera from these mice revealed that infected mice treated with manzamine A had a suppressed IFN-gamma production but an increase in their IL-10 and IgG production. The prolonged survival of infected mice treated with manzamine A and the eventual clearance of recrudescing parasites in some of these mice involve a down-regulation of Thl responses and a switch to antibody dependent-Th2 responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore. kenny_ang@hotmail.com
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Ang
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: U A
authors.initials: UA
authors.lastname: Kara
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood*; D000962:Antimalarials / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002227:Carbazoles; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000469:parasitology; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007211:Indoles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008288:Malaria / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology; D010962:Plasmodium berghei / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000962:Antimalarials; D002227:Carbazoles; D016207:Cytokines; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007211:Indoles; D011758:Pyrroles; C078290:manzamine A