Ellagic Acid Induces in vitro Alkalinisation of the Digestive Vacuole in Drug-Sensitive Plasmodium falciparum Strain.

BACKGROUND

Malaria is one of the leading causes of death worldwide caused by parasites of the genus . The reduced efficacy of the mainstay antimalarial drugs due to the widespread of drug-resistant () necessitates an effort to develop novel antimalarial drugs with new targets. The effects of a phenolic compound, ellagic acid, against the malaria parasite have previously been reported. This present study aimed to evaluate the effect of ellagic acid on pH of the digestive vacuole.

METHODS

The antimalarial potential of ellagic acid against the chloroquine-sensitive strain (3D7) of was assessed by using a malarial SYBR Green 1 fluorescence-based (MSF) assay. The effect of different concentrations of ellagic acid on the pH of the parasite's digestive vacuole at mid-trophozoite stage was examined by using a ratiometric pH indicator, fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran on the flow cytometry.

RESULTS

The result of the MSF assay showed that ellagic acid has an antimalarial activity (half-maximal inhibitory concentration [IC] = 1.85 ± 4.57 nM) at par with a standard drug, artemisinin (IC = 1.91 ± 5.41 nM). The pH of the digestive vacuole of ellagic acid-treated parasites was significantly changed (pH values ranged from 6.11 to 6.74) in a concentration-dependent manner as compared to untreated parasites ( < 0.001). A similar effect was shown by the parasites treated with a standard proton pump inhibitor, concanamycin A.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that ellagic acid might have altered the digestive vacuole pH through the inhibition of proton pumps that regulate the acidification of this organelle. Overall, this study provides a valuable insight into the potential of ellagic acid as a promising antimalarial candidate with a novel mechanism of action.