Fatty Acids from<i>Plasmodium falciparum</i>Down-Regulate the Toxic Activity of Malaria Glycosylphosphatidylinositols

Abstract

Plasmodium falciparum malaria kills roughly 2.5 million people, mainly children, annually. Much of this mortality is thought to arise from the actions of a malarial toxin. This toxin, identified as glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI), is a major pathogenicity determinant in malaria. A malarial molecule, Pfj, labeled by [3H]glucosamine like the GPIs, was identified as a non-GPI molecule. Here we show that Pfj is able to down-regulate tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) production induced by the GPI of P. falciparum. Mass spectrometry analysis showed that Pfj was not a single molecule but represented a number of molecules. Separation methods, such as cation-exchange chromatography and thin-layer chromatography, were used to isolate and identify the following four main fatty acids responsible for the inhibitory effect on TNF-alpha production: myristic, pentadecanoic, palmitic, and palmitoleic acids. This regulatory effect on cytokine production suggests that there is balanced bioactivity for the different categories of malarial lipids.