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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/190613
Artemisinin exposure at the ring or trophozoite stage impacts Plasmodium falciparum sexual conversion differently.
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--- - Malaria transmission is dependent on the formation of
gametocytes in the human blood. The sexual conversion rate, the
proportion of asexual parasites that convert into gametocytes at
each multiplication cycle, is variable and reflects the relative
parasite investment between transmission and maintaining the
infection. The impact of environmental factors such as drugs on
sexual conversion rates is not well understood. We developed a
robust assay using gametocyte-reporter parasite lines to
accurately measure the impact of drugs on sexual conversion
rates, independently from their gametocytocidal activity. We
found that exposure to subcurative doses of the frontline
antimalarial drug dihydroartemisinin (DHA) at the trophozoite
stage resulted in a ~ fourfold increase in sexual conversion. In
contrast, no increase was observed when ring stages were exposed
or in cultures in which sexual conversion was stimulated by
choline depletion. Our results reveal a complex relationship
between antimalarial drugs and sexual conversion, with potential
public health implications.
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PORTUGALIZA, Harvie P., et al. Artemisinin exposure at the ring or trophozoite stage impacts Plasmodium falciparum sexual conversion differently. eLife. 2020. Vol. 9. ISSN 2050-084X. [consulted: 15 of August of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/190613