Effect of Falciparum Malaria on Plasma Proteins in Males With special reference to the levels of testosterone and cortisol hormones

Abstract

This work was conducted in the Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Khartoum to study the effect of Plasmodium falciparum malaria on some plasma proteins, the male sex hormone testosterone, and the stress hormone, cortisol. The study targeted male subjects their age ranged between 20-40 years old. Fourty five subjects employed in this work. The subjects were divided into three group, 15 one cross patients (1-10 a sexual form of parasite per 100 fields ), 15 two cross patients (11-100 a sexual form of parasite per 100 fields), and the other fifteen were uninfected individuals and were included as control. The blood samples were taken from the median cephalic vein for investigation of malaria parasite, plasma proteins and hormones. Testosterone and cortisol were measured using Radioimmunoassay method (RIA). The effect of degree of parasitemia was considered for all parameters studied. The result obtained showed that, the total proteins and total globulins were significantly (P< 0.05) higher in one cross patients compared to the control, and showed significantly (P< 0.05) lower value in two cross patients compared to the control. 60 Whereas the albumin showed slightly lower values in patients compared to control. In all malaria patients studied the mean values of testosterone were significantly (P< 0.05) lower than control. In one cross patients, cortisol showed a rather higher level in patients compared to control, while two cross patients showed significantly (P< 0.05) higher value compared to the control. When only infected individuals were compared, patients with two cross showed significantly (P< 0.05) lower values of total proteins, and total globulins compared to one cross patients, this also observed in the level of testosterone, while the albumin and cortisol showed no significant different between the one cross and two cross patients.