Studies on dehydrogenases of Mastomys erythrocytes infected with chloroquine sensitive and resistant strains of Plasmodium berghei

Glucose metabolism in erythocytes from Mastomys natalensis was altered as a result of Plasmodium berghei infection. The levels of three dehydrogenases, involved in different pathways of carbohydrate metabolism, namely lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6PDH) were increased in Mastomys erythrocytes infected with chloroquine sensitive (CS) and resistant (CR) strains of P. berghei. However, the level of increase was more in the case of latter as compared with the former. The activities of LDH, MDH and G-6PDH in erythrocytes infected with CR-P berghei were 31%, 35% and 21% higher respectively, when compared with the levels of these enzymes in erythrocytes with CS-strain. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of LDH of CR- and CS-strain infected erythrocytes showed that the parasite specific LDH band was more intense in eythrocytes infected with CR-P. berghei. These results clearly indicate that the level of this terminal glycolltic enzyme increases when P. berghei develops chloroquine resistance.