Status of urea and related enzymes during Plasmodium yoelii infection and pyrimethamine treatment in mice.

ABSTRACT

Plasmodium yoelii infection alters the hepatic levels of key enzymes of urea cycle, viz.carbamoyl phosphates synthetase (EC 6.3.4.16) and ornithine transcarbamoylase (EC 2.1.3.3) and urea levels in mice. The urea level was found elevated in liver, brain and plasma during P. yoelii infection. However, carbamoyl phosphate synthetase and ornithine transcarbamoylase were noticeably decreased during P. yoelii infection. Pyrimethamine treatment (10 mg/kg body weight for 4 days) brought back the altered parameters to normal a week after cessation of drug treatment.