Abstract

Studies to ascertain levels of erythrocyte glutathione S-transferase (Ery-GST) activity of non-malarious and malarious male participants of HbAA, HbAS and HbSS erythrocyte genotypes treated with pyrimethamine/sulphadoxine mixture and quinine were carried out. Incubation of erythrocytes with 1-chloro-2, 4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) caused quantitative conjugation of reduced glutathione (GSH) to produce S-(2, 4-dinitrophenyl) glutathione, which formed the bases for the measurement of Ery-GST activity using a spectrophotometer. Blood samples were drawn from treated non-malarious and malarious participants at time intervals of 0, 3, 6 and 18 h and measured for Ery-GST activity. The control values of Ery-GST activity of non-malarious and malarious participants were within the ranges of 3.27 #xB1; 0.13 #x2013; 12.50 #xB1; 1.58 IU/gHb and 2.75 #xB1; 0.16 #x2013; 12.21 #xB1; 1.20 IU/gHb respectively. Ery-GST activity of malarious participants was significantly (plt; 0.05) lower than that of the malarious participants, except that of parasitized HbSS erythrocytes. Generally, Ery-GST activities in the presence of the two antimalarials exhibited a biphasic profile. The first phase showed decreasing levels of Ery-GST activity at t lt; 6 h following the administration of pyrimethamine/sulphadoxine mixture and quinine to the non-malarious and malarious participants. In the second phase, Ery-GST activity increased when experimental tgt; 6 h. The overall pattern of Ery-GST activity within the experimental time (0 lt;tlt; 18 h) showed evidence of antimalarial induced disturbance of erythrocyte homeostasis, which could be of relevance from toxicological standpoints and for monitoring therapeutic events in malarial disease.