Associate Professor Bayero University, Kano Kano, Kano, Nigeria
Objectives: The objective of the study is to determine the iron and antioxidant status in malaria patients attending Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano.
Methods: The antioxidant activities (superoxide dismutase, SOD and glutathione peroxidase, GPx) of 24 malaria-infected and 24 apparently healthy (control) participants were assessed using standard spectrophotometry methods. Serum levels of iron, ferritin, vitamins A, C, and E activities were also assessed using standard methods.
Results: The results show that vitamin A levels in the study participants ranged between 17.72±1.73 µg/dl and 50.81 ± 1.70 µg/dl; vitamin C (0.35 ± 0.03 mg/dl and 0.57 ± 0.12 mg/dl) and vitamin E (0.50 ± 0.06 mg/dl and 1.37 ± 0.20 mg/dl). In the study, the iron level in the control participants was significantly (P < 0.05) higher compared to malaria-infected participants. The results also shows that the serum ferritin levels of the malaria-infected male (293.58 ± 26.52 ng/ml) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) compared to the serum ferritin levels of the non-infected male (100.58 ± 6.96 ng/ml) patients. In addition, female control participants had significantly (P < 0.05) lower serum ferritin levels (92.33 ± 3.39 ng/ml) compared to the malaria-infected female (281.83 ± 9.70 ng/ml). The glutathione peroxidase activities in malaria-infected and control male participants were 1.39 ± 0.46 U/ml and 2.75 ± 0.35 U/ml respectively. While 1.51 ± 0.45 and 2.94 ± 0.43 U/ml GPx activities were observed in malaria-infected and control female participants respectively. Superoxide dismutase activity decreased in malaria-infected male and female participants (7.71 ± 0.41 and 7.15 ± 0.54 U/ml respectively) compared to the control male and female participants (18.3 ± 0.82 and 17.06 ± 0.78 U/ml respectively).
Conclusions: The results of the present study revealed that the presence of malaria parasites (P. falciparum) in blood could have caused the increase in serum ferritin and decrease in the activities of antioxidant enzymes and micronutrients in malaria-infected patients.
Funding Sources: African Centre of Excellence in Population Health, Bayero University, Kano Nigeria
