Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

The pH of the Plasmodium falciparum digestive vacuole: holy grail or dead-end trail?

  • David G. Spiller
  • , Patrick G. Bray
  • , Ruth H. Hughes
  • , Steve Ward
  • , Michael R.H. White
  • University of Liverpool
  • Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

31 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The maintenance of acidic pH in the digestive vacuole of the malaria parasite is thought to be crucial to the digestion of host cell haemoglobin and the subsequent process of heme detoxification. It may also be important in the mode of action of chloroquine and in the mechanism of resistance to the drug. Obtaining a definitive measurement of digestive vacuole pH has been surprisingly difficult. Some of the techniques for the measurement of pH in acid vesicles are outlined here along with some key aspects that are specific to malaria parasites. The use of acridine orange and dextran-tagged dyes as probes for the measurement of digestive vacuole pH has proved problematic, yet some surprising findings have emerged from work with these compounds.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)441-444
Number of pages4
JournalTrends In Parasitology
Volume18
Issue number10
Early online date5 Oct 2002
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 5 Oct 2002

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The pH of the Plasmodium falciparum digestive vacuole: holy grail or dead-end trail?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this