Purification and production of Plasmodium falciparum zygotes from in vitro culture using magnetic column and Percoll density gradient

Abstract

The combined approach of using two MACS columns and two Percoll density gradients yielded zygotes with very high purity (45-fold enrichment and a pure population of zygotes [approximately 100%]) that was devoid of contamination by other parasite stages and uninfected RBCs. These enriched zygotes, free from earlier parasites stages and mosquito-derived macromolecules, can be used to further elucidate the biology and developmental processes of Plasmodium.