This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Kyriacou, H. M.
Right arrow Articles by Rowe, J. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Kyriacou, H. M.
Right arrow Articles by Rowe, J. A.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, April 2007, p. 1321-1326, Vol. 51, No. 4
0066-4804/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AAC.01216-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

In Vitro Inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum Rosette Formation by Curdlan Sulfate{triangledown}

Helen M. Kyriacou,1,{dagger} Katie E. Steen,1,{dagger} Ahmed Raza,1 Monica Arman,1 George Warimwe,2 Peter C. Bull,2 Ivan Havlik,3 and J. Alexandra Rowe1*

Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, United Kingdom,1 KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Collaborative Programme, P.O. Box 230, Kilifi, Kenya,2 Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown 2193, South Africa3

Received 27 September 2006/ Returned for modification 5 November 2006/ Accepted 24 January 2007

Spontaneous binding of infected erythrocytes to uninfected erythrocytes to form rosettes is a property of some strains of Plasmodium falciparum that is linked to severe complications of malaria. Curdlan sulfate (CRDS) is a sulfated glycoconjugate compound that is chemically similar to known rosette-inhibiting drugs such as heparin. CRDS has previously been shown to have antimalarial activity in vitro and is safe for clinical use. Here we show that CRDS at therapeutic levels (10 to 100 µg/ml) significantly reduces rosette formation in vitro in seven P. falciparum laboratory strains and in a group of 18 African clinical isolates. The strong ability to inhibit rosetting suggests that CRDS has the potential to reduce the severe complications and mortality rates from P. falciparum malaria among African children. Our data support further clinical trials of CRDS.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, United Kingdom. Phone: 44-131-650-5492. Fax: 44-131-650-6564. E-mail: Alex.Rowe{at}ed.ac.uk

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 5 February 2007.

{dagger} These authors contributed equally to the work.

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, April 2007, p. 1321-1326, Vol. 51, No. 4
0066-4804/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AAC.01216-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Buckee, C. O, Bull, P. C, Gupta, S. (2009). Inferring malaria parasite population structure from serological networks. Proc R Soc B 276: 477-485 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»