PLASMODIUM-BERGHEI - IS NITRIC-OXIDE INVOLVED IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF MOUSE CEREBRAL MALARIA

To analyze whether nitric oxide may be involved in the pathogenesis of the mouse cerebral malaria (CM), nitrate and nitrite were first measured in urines of Plasmodium species infected mice. The CM-susceptible CBA/J mice were infected with either Plasmodium berghei or Plasmodium chabaudi, and the CM-resistant BALB/c mice were infected with P. berghei. No increased levels of nitrate and nitrite were detected in urine of mice infected with Plasmodium whatever the time of monitoring. In contrast, the nitrite level was found to be increased in the urine of C3H/HeJ mice infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, used as a positive control for nitrate excretion in urine. Two analogs of L-arginine, the L-N(G)-monomethyl-arginine acetate hydrate (L-NMMA) and Nω-nitro-L-arginine, which inhibit the nitric oxide synthase were used. CBA/J mice infected with P. berghei and treated ip with the analogs developed full neurological symptoms. Even administered intracranially, L-NMMA did not reverse CM. The role of nitric oxide in the CM pathogenesis of the mouse model is discussed. © 1993 Academic press, Inc.