Artemisinin inhibits cation currents in malaria-infected human erythrocytes

• Published in: Nanomedicine Vol. 1; no. 2; pp. 143 - 149
• Main Authors: Duranton, Christophe, Akkaya, Canan, Brand, Verena B., Tanneur, Valerie, Lang, Florian, Huber, Stephan M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.06.2005
• Subjects: Animals; Antimalarials - administration & dosage; Artemisinins - administration & dosage; Cations; Cells, Cultured; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Erythrocytes - drug effects; Erythrocytes - parasitology; Erythrocytes - physiology; Humans; Ion Channel Gating - drug effects; Ion Channel Gating - physiology; Ion Channels - drug effects; Ion Channels - physiology; Membrane Potentials - drug effects; Membrane Potentials - physiology; New permeability pathways; Patch-clamp whole cell recording; Plasmodium falciparum; Plasmodium falciparum - drug effects; Plasmodium falciparum - physiology; Red blood cells; Sesquiterpenes - administration & dosage; Plasmodium falciparum; Red blood cells; New permeability pathways; Patch-clamp whole cell recording
• ISSN: 1549-9634; 1549-9642
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nano.2005.03.010

Previous patch-clamp studies have demonstrated inwardly and outwardly rectifying anion currents, ClC-2 Cl – currents, and nonselective Ca ++-permeable cation currents in Plasmodium falciparum–infected human erythrocytes. The current work studied the effect of the potent antimalarial drug artemisinin on the P falciparum infection–induced whole cell currents in human erythrocyte. Artemisinin had no significant effect on the outwardly rectifying anion currents but inhibited the cation-selective currents with an apparent half-maximal inhibitory concentration of ≤10 μmol/L. Because artemisinin reportedly inhibits the asexual parasite amplification with much higher potency, the antimalarial action of the drug cannot be attributed to the artemisinin effect on the cation currents. However, artemisinin may be used as a pharmacologic tool to dissect different current fractions in P falciparum–infected erythrocytes.