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Malarial toxic antigens synergistically enhance insulin signalling
Author(s) -
Taylor Kathryn,
Carr Rachel,
Playfair John H.L.,
Saggerson E.David
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/0014-5793(92)81109-y
Subject(s) - plasmodium yoelii , malaria , insulin , lipogenesis , lipolysis , antigen , cerebral malaria , in vivo , in vitro , downregulation and upregulation , immunology , endocrinology , medicine , biology , plasmodium falciparum , adipose tissue , biochemistry , parasitemia , microbiology and biotechnology , gene
Hypoglycaemia is a major complication of severe malaria [(1990) Trans. Roy. Soc. Trop. Med. 84 (suppl. 2) 1–65], especially cerebral malaria, in which it is associated with increased mortality [(1990) Lancet 336, 1039–1043; (1989) Quart. J. Med. (New series) 71, 441–459]; however, the mechanisms responsible have not been fully explained. Preparations containing toxic malaria antigens (TMA) released by blood stage Plasmodium yoelii malaria parasites have been shown to induce hypoglycaemia in mice lasting at least 8 h [(1992) Clin. Exp. Immunol. (in press)]. Here we report that TMAs can act synergistically with insulin in both stimulating lipogenesis and inhibiting lipolysis in rat adipocytes in vitro, and, furthermore, that they act synergistically with insulin in the induction of hypoglycaemia in vivo.