Effects of chloroquine treatment on circulating erythropoietin and inflammatory cytokines in acute Plasmodium falciparum malaria

Adil Ballal, Amal Saeed, Patricia Rouina, Wolfgang Jelkmann*

*Corresponding author for this work
6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Anemia is a common and serious complication of malaria due to Plasmodium falciparum infection, a major health problem in tropical areas. Herein, the relation was investigated between the levels of circulating erythropoietin (EPO) and immunomodulatory cytokines in response to chloroquine treatment. Thirty-seven healthy control subjects and 40 patients with acute P. falciparum infection were included in the study. All subjects were adult male Sudanese. Blood samples were collected before chloroquine administration (25 mg/kg body weight, orally on three consecutive days) and 3 and 30 days after start of the therapy. Measurements included routine hematological parameters and the concentrations of immunoreactive EPO, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin 1α (IL-1), IL-6, and interferon γ (INF-γ). Chloroquine treatment led to a decrease in EPO levels in the control subjects but an increase in malaria patients at day 30. The latter was likely due to the anti-inflammatory action of the drug because INF-γ, IL-1, and IL-6 concentrations declined on chloroquine treatment. Based on these findings, we propose that an impaired EPO production in association with a prolonged elevation of certain inflammatory cytokines can contribute to the anemia in some malaria patients which can be reversed by chloroquine therapy.

Original languageEnglish
JournalAnnals of Hematology
Volume88
Issue number5
Pages (from-to)411-415
Number of pages5
ISSN0939-5555
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 05.2009

Research Areas and Centers

  • Academic Focus: Center for Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM)

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Effects of chloroquine treatment on circulating erythropoietin and inflammatory cytokines in acute Plasmodium falciparum malaria'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this