Plasmodium berghei ANKA is known to be responsible for causing neurological complications in susceptible strain of mice. Despite the decades of research, pathogenesis of cerebral malaria is still unknown. Histopathological and immunofluorescent staining was performed on brain of P. berghei ANKA infected and artesunate-sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (AS ? SP) treated mice to understand the pathogenesis of experimental cerebral malaria in present study. Cerebral vessels were found to be congested with infected/non-infected RBCs and various leukocytes in infected mice. Immunofluorescent staining identified the localisation of CD3 ? , CD4 ? and CD8 ? T cells in brain of infected and treated mice. P. berghei infected mice exhibited higher expression of CD3 ? , CD4 ? and CD8 ? T cells in brain cortex as compared to mice treated with artesunate-sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine. No sign of injury was observed in brain of treated mice in histopathological analysis. All treated mice survived up to 1 month, whereas, all infected mice died by D15 post infection due to neuro-inflammation.
The present study demonstrates the alterations in the frequencies of helper, cytotoxic and suppressor T cells in blood of P. berghei infected and TPA immunized rodent host towards the induction of protective immune response. Statistically significant (p \ 0.005) number of CD4 ? T cells was recorded on D9 [Post Challenge (PC)] meanwhile CD4 ? Treg cells were found to be declined in immunized mice as compared to infected. This increase in frequencies of T helper cells points towards the stimulation of strong Th2 immune response in immunized mice. Statistically significant (p \ 0.005) decline was observed in the frequencies of CD8 ? T cells on D9 (PC) in immunized mice. In infected controls cytotoxic T cells were also found to be increased after 24 h post infection. Due to strong Th2 immune response, evident from lower frequencies of CD4 ? Treg cells in immunized mice, complete protection was obtained. T reg population was found to be higher in infected controls and all control mice died.
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