The role of non-ionic surfactant vesicles on the course of Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi as infection in BALB/c mice

Hassan, Kowthar S. (2003) The role of non-ionic surfactant vesicles on the course of Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi as infection in BALB/c mice. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

The pro-inflammatory cytokine, TNFalpha has been linked with several patologies like malaria, toxic shock and rheumatoid artheritis. Moreover the circulating levels of TNFalpha have been shown to correlate positively with disease severity in both murine and human malaria. Among clinical features thought to be produced by TNFalpha are fever and cachexia. TNFalpha, however, has also been shown to play a protective role in malaria. Indeed protection against the asexual stages of the murine malaria Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi AS has been shown to depend on the sequential appearance of Thl and Th2 cell functions with the Thl stimulation leading to the early production of TNFalpha through activation of macrophages by IFN? released from the Thl cells. This indicates, therefore, that certain levels of this cytokine are essential for protection but excessive levels are detrimental to the host. Various methods have been used to suppress excessive levels of circulating TNFalpha levels in various pathologies. These include, the use of anti TNFalpha monoclonal antibodies and the use of soluble TNFalpha receptors. In the studies presented here, a new method for suppressing circulating TNFalpha was investigated. It involves the use of empty non-ionic surfactant vesicles (NISV) which had been shown previously to cause a less degree of weight loss in Toxoplasma gondii-infected mice than infected but untreated mice. Since high circulating TNFalpha levels have been shown to be linked with cachexia, the mechanism suggested for the reduced weight loss in the T. gondii-infected mice was the possibility that empty NISV were suppressing the release of TNFalpha from the activated macrophages. In the present studies, empty NISV were used in P. chabaudi chabaudi AS-infected mice to investigate their potential in reducing the amount of weight loss caused by this particular infection. It was also investigated in these studies the hypothesis that the reduced weight loss was due to suppression of the TNFalpha production by NISV from the macrophages and the mechanisms involved in this suppression. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Additional Information: Adviser: Prof. Stephen Phillips.
• Keywords: Immunology.
• Colleges/Schools: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity
• Supervisor's Name: Supervisor, not known
• Date of Award: 2003
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2003-41191
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 02 May 2019 13:07
• Last Modified: 05 Aug 2022 14:16
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.41191
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/41191