Summary
The existence of haemolytic anaemia in malaria indicates disturbances in red cell stability due to physical as well as metabolic stress attributable to the malarial parasite. Impact of Plasmodium vivax infection on the oxidative metabolism of host red cells was studied by evaluating the parameters, erythrocytic enzymes glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD), glutathione-reductase (GR), glutathione-peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity, methaemoglobin (Met Hb) level, erythrocytic reduced glutathione (GSH) level as well as its stability in forty P. vivax infected patients both before and after therapy with chloroquine. Forty (40) normal subjects, age and sex matched, were simultaneously studied as controls. The role of parasitaemia on these parameters was also studied by analyzing the changes at different levels of parasitaemia. During infection there was a significant decrease in GSH level and its stability (P < 0.05) along with depression in the activity of GR (P < 0.05). There was also a positive correlation between GSH level and stability with GR activity. On the other hand Met Hb level increased significantly (P < 0.05) having a negative correlation with GR activity and GSH level. Activity of G-6-PD and GSH-Px remained unaltered. Studies of these parameters at different levels of parasitaemia showed a steady decrease in of GSH level and stability, GR activity and an increase in of Met Hb level with increasing parasitaemia. All parameters were normalized after successful therapy and cure of malaria. This composite picture indicates that P.vivax was responsible, directly or indirectly, for reduction of GR activity with subsequent decrease in GSH level and stability favoring oxidation of Hb to Met Hb and thus affecting the oxidative metabolism of host red cells by disturbing red cell integrity. This in turn could predispose to haemolysis, thereby leading to anaemia in P.vivax malaria.
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© 1992 Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel/Switzerland
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Bhattacharya, J. (1992). Erythrocytic GSH Level and Stability in Plasmodium Vivax Malaria. In: Ong, A.S.H., Packer, L. (eds) Lipid-Soluble Antioxidants: Biochemistry and Clinical Applications. Molecular and Cell Biology Updates. Birkhäuser Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-7432-8_31
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-7432-8_31
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