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Stefanova V, Ngai M, Weckman AM, Wright JK, Zhong K, Richard-Greenblatt M, McDonald CR, Conroy AL, Namasopo S, Opoka RO, Hawkes M, Kain KC. Soluble Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator Receptor as a Prognostic Marker of Ugandan Children at Risk of Severe and Fatal Malaria. Clin Infect Dis 2023; 76:e1079-e1086. [PMID: 35675322 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciac457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Current malaria diagnostic tests do not reliably identify children at risk of severe and fatal infection. Host immune and endothelial activation contribute to malaria pathogenesis. Soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is a marker of these pathways. We hypothesized that measuring suPAR at presentation could risk-stratify children with malaria. METHODS Plasma suPAR levels were determined in consecutive febrile children with malaria at presentation to hospital in Jinja, Uganda. We evaluated the accuracy of suPAR in predicting in-hospital mortality, and whether suPAR could improve a validated clinical scoring system (Lambaréné Organ Dysfunction Score [LODS]). RESULTS Of the 1226 children with malaria, 39 (3.2%) died. suPAR concentrations at presentation were significantly higher in children who went on to die than in those who survived (P < .0001). suPAR levels were associated with disease severity (LODS: 0 vs 1, P = .001; 1 vs 2, P < .001; 2 vs 3, 0 vs 2, 1 vs 3, and 0 vs 3, P < .0001). suPAR concentrations were excellent predictors of in-hospital mortality (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUROC], 0.92 [95% confidence interval {CI}, .91-.94]). The prognostic accuracy of LODS (AUROC, 0.93 [95% CI, .91-.94]) was improved when suPAR was added (AUROC, 0.97 [95% CI, .96-.98]; P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS Measuring suPAR at presentation can identify children at risk of severe and fatal malaria. Adding suPAR to clinical scores could improve the recognition and triage of children at risk of death. suPAR can be detected with a point-of-care test and can now be evaluated in prospective trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veselina Stefanova
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michelle Ngai
- SAR Laboratories, Sandra Rotman Centre for Global Health, University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrea M Weckman
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,SAR Laboratories, Sandra Rotman Centre for Global Health, University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Julie K Wright
- SAR Laboratories, Sandra Rotman Centre for Global Health, University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kathleen Zhong
- SAR Laboratories, Sandra Rotman Centre for Global Health, University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Tropical Disease Unit, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Melissa Richard-Greenblatt
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Public Health Ontario Laboratory, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Chloe R McDonald
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Sophie Namasopo
- Department of Pediatrics, Jinja Regional Referral Hospital, Jinja, Uganda
| | | | | | - Kevin C Kain
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,SAR Laboratories, Sandra Rotman Centre for Global Health, University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Tropical Disease Unit, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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2
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Stefanova V, Crowley VM, Weckman AM, Kain KC. suPAR to Risk-Stratify Patients With Malaria. Front Immunol 2022; 13:931321. [PMID: 35757694 PMCID: PMC9226448 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.931321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe malaria (SM) is a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, particularly in children in sub-Saharan Africa. However, existing malaria diagnostic tests do not reliably identify children at risk of severe and fatal outcomes. Dysregulated host immune and endothelial activation contributes to the pathogenesis of SM. Current research suggests that measuring markers of these pathways at presentation may have clinical utility as prognostic indicators of disease progression and risk of death. In this review, we focus on the available evidence implicating soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) as a novel and early predictor of severe and fatal malaria and discuss its potential utility for malaria triage and management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veselina Stefanova
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Valerie M Crowley
- Sandra A. Rotman (SAR) Laboratories, Sandra Rotman Centre for Global Health, University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Experimental Therapeutics, University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Andrea M Weckman
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Sandra A. Rotman (SAR) Laboratories, Sandra Rotman Centre for Global Health, University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Experimental Therapeutics, University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Kevin C Kain
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Sandra A. Rotman (SAR) Laboratories, Sandra Rotman Centre for Global Health, University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Experimental Therapeutics, University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Tropical Disease Unit, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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3
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Ouko DB, Amwayi PW, Ochola LA, Wairagu PM, Isaac AO, Nyariki JN. Co-administration of chloroquine and coenzyme Q10 improved treatment outcome during experimental cerebral malaria. J Parasit Dis 2022; 46:466-475. [DOI: 10.1007/s12639-022-01468-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
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Camara A, Haddad M, Reybier K, Traoré MS, Baldé MA, Royo J, Baldé AO, Batigne P, Haidara M, Baldé ES, Coste A, Baldé AM, Aubouy A. Terminalia albida treatment improves survival in experimental cerebral malaria through reactive oxygen species scavenging and anti-inflammatory properties. Malar J 2019; 18:431. [PMID: 31852507 PMCID: PMC6921526 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-019-3071-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The development of Plasmodium resistance to the last effective anti-malarial drugs necessitates the urgent development of new anti-malarial therapeutic strategies. To this end, plants are an important source of new molecules. The objective of this study was to evaluate the anti-malarial effects of Terminalia albida, a plant used in Guinean traditional medicine, as well as its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which may be useful in treating cases of severe malaria. Methods In vitro antiplasmodial activity was evaluated on a chloroquine-resistant strain of Plasmodium falciparum (K-1). In vivo efficacy of the plant extract was measured in the experimental cerebral malaria model based on Plasmodium berghei (strain ANKA) infection. Mice brains were harvested on Day 7–8 post-infection, and T cells recruitment to the brain, expression levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory markers were measured by flow cytometry, RT-qPCR and ELISA. Non-malarial in vitro models of inflammation and oxidative response were used to confirm Terminalia albida effects. Constituents of Terminalia albida extract were characterized by ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry. Top ranked compounds were putatively identified using plant databases and in silico fragmentation patterns. Results In vitro antiplasmodial activity of Terminalia albida was confirmed with an IC50 of 1.5 μg/mL. In vivo, Terminalia albida treatment greatly increased survival rates in P. berghei-infected mice. Treated mice were all alive until Day 12, and the survival rate was 50% on Day 20. Terminalia albida treatment also significantly decreased parasitaemia by 100% on Day 4 and 89% on Day 7 post-infection. In vivo anti-malarial activity was related to anti-inflammatory properties, as Terminalia albida treatment decreased T lymphocyte recruitment and expression of pro-inflammatory markers in brains of treated mice. These properties were confirmed in vitro in the non-malarial model. In vitro, Terminalia albida also demonstrated a remarkable dose-dependent neutralization activity of reactive oxygen species. Twelve compounds were putatively identified in Terminalia albida stem bark. Among them, several molecules already identified may be responsible for the different biological activities observed, especially tannins and triterpenoids. Conclusion The traditional use of Terminalia albida in the treatment of malaria was validated through the combination of in vitro and in vivo studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aissata Camara
- UMR152 PHARMADEV, IRD, UPS, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France. .,Institute for Research and Development of Medicinal and Food Plants of Guinea (IRDPMAG), Dubréka, Guinea.
| | - Mohamed Haddad
- UMR152 PHARMADEV, IRD, UPS, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Karine Reybier
- UMR152 PHARMADEV, IRD, UPS, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Mohamed Sahar Traoré
- Institute for Research and Development of Medicinal and Food Plants of Guinea (IRDPMAG), Dubréka, Guinea.,Department of Pharmacy, University Gamal Abdel Nasser of Conakry, Conakry, Guinea
| | - Mamadou Aliou Baldé
- Institute for Research and Development of Medicinal and Food Plants of Guinea (IRDPMAG), Dubréka, Guinea.,Department of Pharmacy, University Gamal Abdel Nasser of Conakry, Conakry, Guinea
| | - Jade Royo
- UMR152 PHARMADEV, IRD, UPS, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Alpha Omar Baldé
- Institute for Research and Development of Medicinal and Food Plants of Guinea (IRDPMAG), Dubréka, Guinea.,Department of Pharmacy, University Gamal Abdel Nasser of Conakry, Conakry, Guinea
| | - Philippe Batigne
- UMR152 PHARMADEV, IRD, UPS, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Mahamane Haidara
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Sciences, Technics and Technologies (USTTB) of Bamako, Bamako, Mali
| | - Elhadj Saidou Baldé
- Institute for Research and Development of Medicinal and Food Plants of Guinea (IRDPMAG), Dubréka, Guinea.,Department of Pharmacy, University Gamal Abdel Nasser of Conakry, Conakry, Guinea
| | - Agnès Coste
- UMR152 PHARMADEV, IRD, UPS, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Aliou Mamadou Baldé
- Department of Pharmacy, University Gamal Abdel Nasser of Conakry, Conakry, Guinea
| | - Agnès Aubouy
- UMR152 PHARMADEV, IRD, UPS, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
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Wang Q, Feng Y, Sun X, Pang W, Fu W, Cao Y. Prophylactic treatment of L-Arg improves malaria outcomes by regulating host immune responses during Plasmodium yoelii 17XL infection. Exp Parasitol 2018; 195:1-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2018.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Revised: 02/23/2018] [Accepted: 09/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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Ong PK, Moreira AS, Daniel-Ribeiro CT, Frangos JA, Carvalho LJM. Reversal of cerebrovascular constriction in experimental cerebral malaria by L-arginine. Sci Rep 2018; 8:15957. [PMID: 30374028 PMCID: PMC6206133 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-34249-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Vascular dysfunction associated with low nitric oxide (NO) biavailability and low plasma L-arginine levels is observed in both human and experimental cerebral malaria (ECM). In ECM, cerebrovascular constriction results in decreased pial blood flow and hypoxia, and administration of NO donors reverses constriction and increases survival. Supplementation of L-arginine, the substrate for NO synthesis by NO synthases, has been considered as a strategy to improve vascular health and act as adjunctive therapy in human severe malaria. We investigated the effect of L-arginine supplementation on pial vascular tonus of mice with ECM after direct superfusion on the brain surface or systemic delivery. Pial arteriolar diameters of Plasmodium berghei-infected mice with implanted cranial windows were measured using intravital microscopy methods, before and after L-arginine administration. Systemic delivery of L-arginine was performed intravenously, at 10, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, as bolus injection or slowly through osmotic pumps, combined or not with artesunate. Direct superfusion of L-arginine (10-7M, 10-5M and 10-3M) on the brain surface of mice with ECM resulted in immediate, consistent and dose-dependent dilation of pial arterioles. ECM mice showed marked cerebrovascular constriction that progressively worsened over a 24 h-period after subcutaneous saline bolus administration. L-arginine administration prevented the worsening in pial constriction at all the doses tested, and at 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg it induced temporary reversal of vasoconstriction. Slow, continuous delivery of L-arginine by osmotic pumps, or combined bolus administration of artesunate with L-arginine, also prevented worsening of pial constriction and resulted in improved survival of mice with ECM. L-arginine ameliorates pial vasoconstriction in mice with ECM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Kai Ong
- La Jolla Bioengineering Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Aline S Moreira
- Laboratory of Malaria Research, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | | | - Leonardo J M Carvalho
- La Jolla Bioengineering Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA. .,Laboratory of Malaria Research, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Pekarova M, Lojek A. The crucial role of l-arginine in macrophage activation: What you need to know about it. Life Sci 2015; 137:44-8. [PMID: 26188591 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2015.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2015] [Revised: 07/07/2015] [Accepted: 07/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Nowadays, it is well recognized that amino acids are powerful molecules responsible for regulatory control over fundamental cellular processes. However, our understanding of the signaling cascades involved in amino acid sensing in organisms, as well as signal initiation, is largely limited. This is also the case of semi-essential amino acid l-arginine, which has multiple metabolic fates, and it is considered as one of the most versatile amino acids. Recently, some new and important facts have been published considering the role of l-arginine in the regulation of inflammatory processes in several human and mouse models, mediated also via the regulation of macrophage activation. Therefore, this mini review focuses on the actual summarization of information about (i) l-arginine bioavailability in organism, (ii) l-arginine-dependent regulation of nitric oxide synthase expression and nitric oxide production, and importantly (iii) its role in the activation of intracellular signaling pathways and G-protein-coupled receptors in macrophages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela Pekarova
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolska 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Antonin Lojek
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Kralovopolska 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic
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