2 research outputs found
Antimalarial drugs disrupt ion homeostasis in malarial parasites
Plasmodium chabaudi malaria parasite organelles are major elements for
ion homeostasis and cellular signaling and also target for antimalarial
drugs. By using confocal imaging of intraerythrocytic parasites we
demonstrated that the dye acridine orange (AO) is accumulated into P.
chabaudi subcellular compartments. The AO could be released from the
parasite organelles by collapsing the pH gradient with the K+/H+
ionophore nigericin (20 μM), or by inhibiting the H+-pump with
bafilomycin (4 μM). Similarly, in isolated parasites loaded with
calcium indicator Fluo 3-AM, bafilomycin caused calcium mobilization of
the acidic calcium pool that could also be release with nigericin.
Interestingly after complete release of the acidic compartments,
addition of thapsigargin at 10 μM was still effective in releasing
parasite intracellular calcium stores in parasites at trophozoite
stage. The addition of antimalarial drugs chloroquine and artemisinin
resulted in AO release from acidic compartments and also affected
maintenance of calcium in ER store by using different drug
concentrations