Stage-specific activity of potential antimalarial compounds measured in vitro by flow cytometry in comparison to optical microscopy and hypoxanthine uptake

Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz

Carmen E Contreras²  María A Rivas²  José Domínguez¹  Jaime Charris¹  Mario Palacios²  Nicolás E Bianco²  Isaac Blanca² 

[1] ,Universidad Central Facultad de Medicina Instituto de InmunologíaCaracas,Venezuela

关键词: Plasmodium falciparum;    antimalarial compounds;    flow cytometry;    hypoxanthine uptake;    chloroquine;    quinolone;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S0074-02762004000200011

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

The evaluation of new antimalarial agents using older methods of monitoring sensitivity to antimalarial drugs are laborious and poorly suited to discriminate stage-specific activity. We used flow cytometry to study the effect of established antimalarial compounds, cysteine protease inhibitors, and a quinolone against asexual stages of Plasmodium falciparum. Cultured P. falciparum parasites were treated for 48 h with different drug concentrations and the parasitemia was determined by flow cytometry methods after DNA staining with propidium iodide. P. falciparum erythrocytic life cycle stages were readily distinguished by flow cytometry. Activities of established and new antimalarial compounds measured by flow cytometry were equivalent to results obtained with microscopy and metabolite uptake assays. The antimalarial activity of all compounds was higher against P. falciparum trophozoite stages. Advantages of flow cytometry analysis over traditional assays included higher throughput for data collection, insight into the stage-specificity of antimalarial activity avoiding use of radioactive isotopes.

【 授权许可】

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