Effect of α-Tocopheryloxy Acetic Acid on the Infection of Mice with Plasmodium berghei ANKA In Vivo and Humans with P. falciparum In Vitro.

PURPOSE: Malarial parasites are susceptible to oxidative stress. The effects of α-tocopheryloxy acetic acid (α-TEA), a vitamin E analog, on infection by Plasmodium berghei ANKA and P. falciparum in mice and human red blood cells (RBCs), respectively, were examined in this study.
METHODS: For in vivo studies in mice, RBCs infected with P. berghei ANKA were inoculated via intraperitoneal injection and α-TEA was administered to C57BL/6 J male mice after infection. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability was examined by Evans blue staining in experimental cerebral malaria at 7 days after infection. The in vitro inhibitory effect of α-TEA on P. falciparum 3D7 (chloroquine-sensitive strain) and K1 (multidrug-resistant strain) was tested using a SYBR Green I-based assay.
RESULTS: When 1.5% α-TEA was administered for 14 days after infection, 88% of P. berghei ANKA-infected mice survived during the experimental period. Nevertheless, all the control mice died within 12 days of infection. Furthermore, the Evans blue intensity in α-TEA-treated mice brains was less than that in untreated mice, indicating that α-TEA might inhibit the destruction of the BBB and progression of cerebral malaria. The in vitro experiment revealed that α-TEA inhibited the proliferation of both the 3D7 and K1 strains.
CONCLUSION: This study showed that α-TEA is effective against murine and human malaria in vivo and in vitro, respectively. Although α-TEA alone has a sufficient antimalarial effect, future research could focus on the structure-activity relationship to achieve better pharmacokinetics and decrease the cytotoxicity and/or the combined effect of α-TEA with existing drugs. In addition, the prophylactic antimalarial activity of premedication with α-TEA may also be an interesting perspective in the future.