Erythrocytic Antioxidant Enzymes, Plasma Malondialdehyde and Haemoglobin Levels in Plasmodium Falciparum Infected Malaria Patients in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of malaria parasitaemia on Plasmodium falciparum infected human erythrocytes oxidative stress biomarkers and haemoglobin levels. Seventy (70) human subjects of fifty (50) P. falciparum positive and twenty (20) control subjects between the ages of 10-60 years were selected for this study. Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) and microscopy were used to identify P. falciparum. The samples were matched based on age, sex and level of parasitaemia. Samples of blood were collected for the determination of P. falciparum, level of parasitaemia, anti-oxidant assay and haemoglobin levels; to assess the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), malondialdehyde (MDA), total protein (PRO), reduced glutathione (GSH), haemoglobin and Parasite density. Haemoglobin level was determined using a Coulter A-T Pierce haematology analyzer (Beckman Coulter, Inc. Fullerton, CA, USA). This study showed that the mean level of PRO, CAT, MDA and SOD was significantly higher among the P. falciparum positive patients to those in the control while GPx level was lower, also, the mean level of HGB was significantly lower in the P. falciparum positive patients to those in the control. MDA, SOD, GSH and PRO level were higher among age group (10-20) in the P. falciparum infected patients and lower in the control subjects when compared to other age groups. MDA, SOD and PRO level were higher in the males than the females in both the malaria positive and controls. This study indicates that high parasitaemic patients are at greater risk of anaemia and oxidative stress compared to low parasitaemic ones.

Association of reduced glutathione levels with Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax malaria: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…This led to the exclusion of 317 records for various reasons, including being in vitro/in vivo studies, review articles, or conference abstracts, as well as lacking GSH information, the absence of malaria cases, not specifying GSH type, or analyzing post-treatment GSH levels. Eventually, 18 studies meeting the criteria were included in the review 14 – 20 , 31 – 41 : 12 from the primary database search 15 – 17 , 20 , 31 – 37 , 39 , five from Google Scholar 14 , 18 , 19 , 38 , 41 , and one from a reference list 40 (Fig. 1 ).…”

“…However, three studies 17 , 19 , 38 successfully met all quality parameters. Two studies 36 , 41 , although fulfilling most criteria and identifying confounding factors, neglected to proffer strategies to mitigate confounders. Regarding the cohort studies, only one 34 met all quality parameters.…”

“…The majority of African studies on GSH levels in malaria were conducted in Nigeria, with significant contributions from authors such as Abduljalil et al 14 , Abubakar et al 15 , Akanbi et al 16 , Babalola et al 19 , Nsonwu-Anyanwu et al 37 , Oluba et al 39 , Onyeneke et al 40 , and Ozojiofor et al 41 . The majority of Asian studies were conducted in India, as evidenced by works from Aqeel et al 31 , Bhattacharya and Swarup-Mitra 33 , Das and Nanda 34 , Sohail et al 17 , and Tyagi et al 18 .…”

“…However, Onyeneke et al did not find an association between GSH levels and parasite density in this group 40 . Some studies enrolled participants from all age groups, with Bhattacharya and Swarup-Mitra 33 and Ozojiofor et al 41 , from India and Nigeria, respectively, noting a decline in GSH levels in malaria patients. In contrast, the Indian studies by Sohail et al 17 and Tyagi et al 18 observed increased GSH levels in malaria patients, providing an intriguing counterpoint.…”

“…A total of 17 studies investigated GSH levels in both malaria and uninfected controls and reported quantitative data, which we used in the meta-analysis 14 – 20 , 31 – 38 , 40 , 41 . Compared with uninfected controls, GSH levels were reduced in 11 malaria studies 14 – 16 , 31 – 36 , 38 , 41 , increased in three malaria studies 17 , 18 , 37 , and showed no difference in three malaria studies 19 , 20 , 40 . The meta-analysis result showed the reduction of GSH in malaria compared with uninfected controls ( P < 0.01, Hedges g: − 1.47, 95% CI − 2.48 to − 0.46, I 2 : 99.12%, 17 studies; Fig.…”