Elevated Plasma Phenylalanine in Severe Malaria and Implications for Pathophysiology of Neurological Complications

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorMwaikambo, Esther D.
dc.date.accessioned2020-02-17T11:30:20Z
dc.date.available2020-02-17T11:30:20Z
dc.date.issued2006
dc.description.abstractCerebral malaria is associated with decreased production of nitric oxide and decreased levels of its precursor, l-arginine. Abnormal amino acid metabolism may thus be an important factor in malaria pathogenesis. We sought to determine if other amino acid abnormalities are associated with disease severity in falciparum malaria. Subjects were enrolled in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (children) (n = 126), and Papua, Indonesia (adults) (n = 156), in two separate studies. Plasma samples were collected from subjects with WHO-defined cerebral malaria (children), all forms of severe malaria (adults), and uncomplicated malaria (children and adults). Healthy children and adults without fever or illness served as controls. Plasma amino acids were measured using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Several plasma amino acids were significantly lower in the clinical malaria groups than in healthy controls. Despite the differences, phenylalanine was the only amino acid with mean levels outside the normal range (40 to 84 μM) and was markedly elevated in children with cerebral malaria (median [95% confidence interval], 163 [134 to 193] μM; P < 0.0001) and adults with all forms of severe malaria (median [95% confidence interval], 129 [111 to 155] μM; P < 0.0001). In adults who survived severe malaria, phenylalanine levels returned to normal, with clinical improvement (P = 0.0002). Maintenance of plasma phenylalanine homeostasis is disrupted in severe malaria, leading to significant hyperphenylalaninemia. This is likely a result of an acquired abnormality in the function of the liver enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase. Determination of the mechanism of this abnormality may contribute to the understanding of neurological complications in malaria.en_US
dc.identifier.citationLopansri, B.K., Anstey, N.M., Stoddard, G.J., Mwaikambo, E.D., Boutlis, C.S., Tjitra, E., Maniboey, H., Hobbs, M.R., Levesque, M.C., Weinberg, J.B. and Granger, D.L., 2006. Elevated plasma phenylalanine in severe malaria and implications for pathophysiology of neurological complications. Infection and immunity, 74(6), pp.3355-3359.en_US
dc.identifier.otherDOI: 10.1128/IAI.02106-05
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/123456789/235
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherInfection and Immunityen_US
dc.subjectElevated Plasma Phenylalanineen_US
dc.subjectSevere Malariaen_US
dc.subjectPathophysiology of Neurologicalen_US
dc.titleElevated Plasma Phenylalanine in Severe Malaria and Implications for Pathophysiology of Neurological Complicationsen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Elevated Plasma Phenylalanine in Severe Malaria and Implications forPathophysiology of Neurological Complications.pdf
Size:
95.83 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download

Collections

Journals

Total Collections: 1