Effects of Antimalaria Drugs on Antioxidant Status of Malaria Patients

Malaria infection has been found to be associated with lipid peroxidation accompanying reduction in antioxidant capacity of the infected patients especially Plasmodium falciparum infection. Antimalarial drugs also affects the oxidative stress pattern of malaria patients. The effects of malaria infection and the antimalaria drugs, chloroquine, sulfadoxine-pyremethamine and artemisinin combination therapy of the oxidant (malondialdehyde, MDA) and antioxidant status (enzyme and non-enzyme) of malaria patients were investigated. The result showed that the level of MDA was significantly elevated (p<0.05) in malaria patients compared to the control subjects. The MDA levels of patients on drugs were also raised compared to the control subjects; chloroquine and fansidar had the highest level of MDA. The antioxidant status (enzyme and non enzyme) was significantly reduced (p<0.05) in malaria patients compared to the control subjects. These effects were dependent on the degree of parasitaemia, duration of illness and age of the malaria patients. An insignificant increase was however observed in patients on antimalaria drugs compared to patients who did not take any of the antimalarials. ACT was found to be a better antimalarial amongst the drugs tested, considering its antioxidant potency. Thus it can be inferred that indeed most antimalaria drugs act by increasing the oxidant stress level, hence they should be supplemented by antioxidants as part of treatment regime.