Chloroquine and vitamin treatments on the antioxidant status of critical tissues of malaria infected models.

Hanson Iyawe, Abraham Onigbinde

Abstract
Objective: To assess chloroquine and vitamin combination treatment on liver, kidney and heart muscles of malaria parasite challenged mice, in other to evaluate the influence of such treatment regime on the antioxidant status of these organs. Method: This study was a 5 by 10 model design, comprising of non-parasitized-nontreated (control), parasitized-non-treated (PnT), parasitized chloroquine and ascorbic acid treated (Pcq+asT), parasitized chloroquine and folic acid treated (Pcq+faT) and parasitized chloroquine, ascorbic and folic acid treated (Pcq+asT+faT). Treatment of challenged animals was for three days after parasitemia was established with Gemsa stain. All biochemical indicators assayed for in this project were conducted using standard procedures. Result: Collated data shows that parasitemia and treatment regime had no significant (p<0.05) effect on heart tissues. Parasitemia in liver tissues caused significant (p>0.05) increases in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, catalase (CAT) activity, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) activity and reduced glutathione (GSH) in comparison with control and treatment of test groups showed significant (p>0.05) reduction in G6PD activity in comparison with control and PnT groups. In kidney tissues there were reductions (P<0.05) in GSH molecules in comparison with control and PnT. Conclusion: The treatment regime under this condition has the potential to induce high liver G6PD activity and a low GSH concentration in kidney tissues, with its attendant consequences.

Key words: P-berghei, ascorbic acid, folic acid, liver, kidney, heart muscle.