Implication of Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Defence Systems in Symptomatic and Asymptomatic <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> Malaria Infection among Children Aged 1 to 15 Years in the Mount Cameroon Area

Abstract

It is known that the pathogenicity of Plasmodium induces the breakdown of haemoglobin, which leads to the induction of oxidative stress. This study aimed to identify the possible effects of oxidative stress and antioxidant defence systems in symptomatic and asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum malaria infection in children (1 -15 years old) in the Mount Cameroon vicinity. This cross-sectional study involved blood samples collected from 473 children and examined for malaria parasitaemia. Full blood counts were performed using an automated haemoanalyser. Serum oxidative stress status (malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and vitamin C (Vit C)) were each determined by colorimetric enzymatic assays. The prevalence of malaria parasite infection was 32.1% among the participants. Out of that, 62.5% of patients with parasitaemia were symptomatic. Anaemia prevalence increased significantly with parasite density. MDA levels were significantly higher in patients with malaria symptoms than in those without symptoms. A significant and positive correlation was detected between MDA (r = 0.831, P < 0.05), NO (r = 0.779, P < 0.05), and malaria parasite density while, a significant and negative relationship occurred between parasite density and GSH (r = −0.763, P < 0.05

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

“…For the cross-sectional studies, the majority 15 , 16 , 20 , 32 , 35 , 40 exhibited robust adherence to the predetermined criteria but failed to address confounding factors. 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.…”

“…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 ).…”

“…Overall, a significant decrease in GSH levels in individuals with malaria compared with uninfected controls was observed in 13 of these studies. Regarding different age groups, the majority of studies focused on children observed a significant decrease in GSH levels when infected with malaria, as seen in studies by Abduljalil et al 14 , Abubakar et al 15 , Das and Nanda 34 , Oluba et al 39 , and Ojongnkpot et al 38 . In particular, Ojongnkpot’s study from Cameroon highlighted a negative relationship between GSH levels and parasite density in children 38 .…”

“…Regarding different age groups, the majority of studies focused on children observed a significant decrease in GSH levels when infected with malaria, as seen in studies by Abduljalil et al 14 , Abubakar et al 15 , Das and Nanda 34 , Oluba et al 39 , and Ojongnkpot et al 38 . In particular, Ojongnkpot’s study from Cameroon highlighted a negative relationship between GSH levels and parasite density in children 38 . A decline in GSH levels in malaria patients was predominantly observed in studies on adults, including studies by Erel et al in Turkey 35 , Javeed et al in Pakistan 36 , and Nsonwu-Anyanwu et al in Nigeria 37 .…”

“…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.…”