Changes in glutathione metabolic enzymes in erythrocytes of Plasmodium vivax infected patients

Abstract

Reduced glutathione in erythrocytes has been thought to participate in intracellular redox reactions to protect haemoglobin and some thiol-dependent enzymes or membrane proteins from oxidative damage. The depletion of intracellular glutathione is thought to be a cause of haemolysis induced by oxidative stress. The intracellular malarial parasite has been shown to produce distinct structural changes in the infected erythrocyte membrane [I]. Alterations in th . reduced glutathione content in malarial erythrocytes have been reported [2,3]. However, knowledge regarding the status of glutathione-related enzymes that are involved in the antioxidant defence system in Plasmodium vivax-infected cells is limited. The concerted effort of these enzymes in the regeneration of glutathione in the face of an oxidant stress provides a vital link to intracellular mechanisms and parasite death/survival. A number of studies have demonstrated the susceptibility of erythrocyte~ to oxygen-mediated damage [4,5]. Very little research has been done on vivax malaria because of the inadequacies of the culture system [6], the low fatality and fewer complications of P. vivax infection [7] and the paucity of clinical cases in developed countries.