Study of Iron Status and Free Radical Activity  in Plasmodium Falciparum and Plasmodium  Vivax Malaria Infection

Sangita M. Patil; Ramchandra K. Padalkar

Volume : I, Issue : IX, June - 2012

Study of Iron Status and Free Radical Activity in Plasmodium Falciparum and Plasmodium Vivax Malaria Infection

Sangita M. Patil, Ramchandra K. Padalkar

Abstract :

The iron deficiency Anemia is one of the important complications in pathogenesis of Malaria. Oxidative stress plays an important role in the development of malarial anemia. Malaria turns out to be the major disease with the higher number of annual deaths. In a case control study, 51 subjects with Plasmodium Falciparum and Plasmodium Vivax malaria infection (aged 7 to 61 years) and 58 uninfected volunteer subjects (aged between 6–70 years) were screened. Iron status was evaluated using biochemical parameters like serum iron, total iron binding capacity, unsaturated iron binding capacity, transferrin saturation and hematological parameter like hemoglobin while lipid peroxidation product like malondialdehyde was used to enumerate degree of oxidative stress. Serum iron status was analyzed by using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer, Perkin Elmer Model 3030. Serum lipid peroxidation product like malondialdehyde was estimated by kei satoh method. Significant alternations in above result were noted in both groups of malaria patients. Hematological parameters were found to be lower in malaria patients but not significantly. The serum iron, total iron binding capacity, unsaturated iron binding capacity, transferrin saturation were decreased significantly (p<0.001) in both groups of malaria patients. Substantial rise in serum lipid peroxide was noted in plasmodium Falciparum malaria patients (p<0.001). Our finding suggest that reduction of iron and its related parameters were more likely due to dietary deficiency coupled with moderate amount of hemolysis. Increase in serum Lipid peroxidation was due to over activity of free radical, which corresponds with severely tissue damage. It is been hypothesized that iron and antioxidants supplementation provide beneficial effect to trim down the malarial anemia and oxidative stress.