Composition and Function of Phospholipids in Plasmodium knowlesi

摘要

This work characterizes the phospholipid composition of the parasite P. knowlesi and of the red blood cells and plasma from individual normal and infected rhesus monkeys. Besides continuing investigation of the intact phospholipid composition of various blood fractions to compare with our previous results, we have enlarged our area of concern to attempt to explain the striking differences between normal and infected plasma LPC. We are presently examining blood drawn from animals before and after fasting. Results to date indicate fasting does not cause the decrease in plasma LPC of the infected monkey. We have found a strong correlation between cholesterol-to-cholesterol ester molar ratios and LPC levels in plasma. The ratio is less than one in normal samples where LPC is high and greater than one in infected samples where LPC is low. Using the simplex method for optimization of variables a satisfactory separation of PE, PS, PI, PC, PA, SM and LPC has been achieved on a liquid chromatograph with moving wire detector. An 180 cm Corasil II column is used and a chloroform/methanol/ammonia solvent mixture of 50/35.9/7.0.