Studies on hepatic oxidative stress and antioxidant defence system during chloroquine poly ICLC treatment of Plasmodium yoelii nigeriensis infected mice

Reactive oxygen species are important mediators of tissue injury during mal aria infection. The status of hepatic oxidative stress and antioxidant defe nce indices were studied during Plasmodium yoelii nigeriensis (P. y. nigeri ensis) infection and chloroquine/polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid stabilized with polylysine and carboxymethylcellulose (poly ICLC) treatment of infect ed mice. P. y. nigeriensis infection resulted in a significant increase in oxidative stress indices viz., xanthine oxidase and rate of lipid peroxidat ion (LPO). This was accompanied by a highly significant increase in antioxi dant defence indices viz., reduced glutathione (GSH) and glutathione reduct ase while superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase showed a highly significa nt decrease with respect to normal mice. Chloroquine treatment of infected mice caused a decrease in parasitaemia which was associated with restoratio n of indices altered during infection towards normalization. Poly ICLC trea tment of infected mice caused no change in blood parasitaemia but resulted in a significant increase in GSH, glutathione reductase, SOD and catalase w ith respect to infected mice. Combination therapy of chloroquine and poly I CLC resulted in clearance of parasitaemia and restoration of all oxidative stress and antioxidant defence indices to normal levels.