African Journal of Malaria and Tropical Diseases

African Journal of Malaria and Tropical Diseases ISSN 4123-0981 Vol. 5 (4), pp. 333-336, April, 2017. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

A study of antioxidant profile of Nigerian children diagnosed with plasmodium falciparum

Nmorsi O.P.G.¹*, Ukwandu N.C.D.² and Egwunyenga A.O.³

¹Tropical Disease Research Unit, Department of Zoology, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Nigeria.

²Department of Medical Microbiology, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Nigeria.

³Department of Zoology, Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected].

Accepted 22 April, 2016

Abstract

We evaluated the antioxidant status of 148 Nigerian children with Plasmodium falciparum malaria. The mean malarial parasitaemia was 4701.05 ± 2160.53/µL. The mean antioxidant concentrations of the infected children were determined for vitamin A (12.16 ± 1 - 16 µg/dL), vitamin C (0.43 ± 0.03 mg/dL), 5 carotenes (40.96 ± 5.38 µg/dL), and vitamin E (0.45 ± 0.03 mg/dL) . The control subjects had higher mean concentrations of vitamin A (72.12 ± 3.12 µg/dL), and of the 5 carotenes (132.63 ± 22.45 µg/dL), and these differences were statistically significant (X² = 42.86, P > 0.05 and X² = 50.64, P > 0.05, respectively). The mean concentrations of vitamin C (1.22 ± 0.31 mg/dL) and vitamin E (1.03 ± 0.48 mg/dL) in the control children were not statistically significant when compared with their infected children (X² = 0.34, P < 0.05) and (X² = 0.66, P < 0.05), respectively. The relationship between malarial parasitaemia and the concentrations of vitamin E and the 5 carotenes were positively correlated (r = 0.83 and r = 0.99, respectively) . The levels of plasma vitamin A and vitamin C were negatively correlated with the malarial parasitaemia (r = -0.98, and r = -0.96, respectively). Children within their first 5 years of age had higher malarial parasitaemia (7628.42 ± 3151.42/µL) than those > 6 years (1176.58 ± 956/µL). The children between 1 - 5 years old had lower concentrations of vitamin A (8.89 ± 3.74 µg/dL) and vitamin C (0.28 ± 0.21 µg/dL), while the concentration of the 5 carotenes (44.54 µg/dL) and of vitamin E (0.50 ± 0.16 µg/dL) was higher in these children. In conclusion, the depressed levels of plasma antioxidants in the P. falciparum-infected children suggested lowered immunity of the children, which may contribute to the morbidity and mortality of malaria in our locality.

Key words: Vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, antioxidants, Children, Plasmodium falciparum, Nigeria.