Role of nitric oxide synthase in mice to protect against Plasmodium berghei malaria

Abstract

Malaria is the most prevalent parasitic infection that has affected human health over the millennium. Malaria is threatening the lives and affecting the development of over 2.2 billion people in over 100 countries. Presently due to absence of vaccine, chemotherapy is most suitable but due to wide spread drug resistance against commonly used anti-malarial there is an urgent need of new control strategies. For this role of NO in pathogenesis of malaria present study was carried out to measure the baseline or malaria induced NO, nitric oxide products and NOS activity in P. berghei. Since, in vitro cultivation of the blood stage of human parasite P. falciparum is associated with many problems, P. berghei, a murine rodent parasite was used as a practical model. In the present investigation nitric oxide, total nitrite and nitric oxide synthase activity was studied in normal and P. berghei infected tissues at different parasitaemia. P. berghei infected tissue except brain showed the decline in nitric oxide level at maximum parasitaemia. Along with this, in vivo study exhibited partial protection against P. berghei infection suggesting role of NOS in malaria control.