Haemolysis of Plasmodium falciparum trophozoite-infected erythrocytes after artemisinin exposure.

British Journal of Haematology
A U Orjih

Abstract

This study has examined in vitro, how exposure to the antimalarial drug artemisinin affects Plasmodium falciparum and its host erythrocytes. Factors examined include: cell morphology, intracellular haemoglobin levels, and haemoglobin catabolism (haemozoin production). To avoid uninfected erythrocytes complicating the study, P. falciparum ring-infected erythrocytes were concentrated to 99% parasitaemia, by saponin haemolysis, before the parasites were grown with or without artemisinin. Without artemisinin, the parasites completed their life cycle in the normal time (40 h), during which a mean of 980 pmol if ferriprotoporphyrin IX from haemoglobin was incorporated into haemozion per 10(6) parasitized erythrocytes, and intracellular haemoglobin level decreased by 90%. Exposure of ring-infected erythrocytes to artemisinin (250 ng per ml of culture medium) inhibited parasite growth completely, haemozoin production by 95%, and decreased the intra-erythrocytic haemoglobin level by 90%; the infected erythrocytes remained intact during the 64 h of study. Haemozoin production was also inhibited when the drug was administered at the trophozoite stage of parasite growth, but the infected erythrocytes haemolysed. These findings may contribu...Continue Reading

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