Fatty acids from Plasmodium falciparum down-regulate the toxic activity of malaria glycosylphosphatidylinositols.

ABSTRACT: Plasmodium falciparum malaria kills roughly 2.5 million people, mainly children, annually. Much of this mortality is thought to arise from the actions of a malarial toxin. This toxin, identified as glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI), is a major pathogenicity determinant in malaria. A malarial molecule, Pfj, labeled by [3H]glucosamine like the GPIs, was identified as a non-GPI molecule. Here we show that Pfj is able to down-regulate tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) production induced by the GPI of P. falciparum. Mass spectrometry analysis showed that Pfj was not a single molecule but represented a number of molecules. Separation methods, such as cation-exchange chromatography and thin-layer chromatography, were used to isolate and identify the following four main fatty acids responsi

SUBMITTER: Debierre-Grockiego F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1594897 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature