ArticlePLoS pathogens2008
Plasmodium-induced inflammation by uric acid.
Article in PLoS pathogens, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 47 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association of uric acid levels with severity of Plasmodium infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2023Pooled it
- Elevating uric acid as an antimalarial target.Trends in parasitology · 2025Article
- Nilotinib attenuates vascular pathology in experimental cerebral malaria.Blood advances · 2025Article
- Elevated uric acid levels, mortality and cognitive impairment in children with severe malaria.Nature medicine · 2025Article
- Role of inflammasomes in Toxoplasma and Plasmodium infections.Parasites & vectors · 2024Review
- Caspase-8 mediates inflammation and disease in rodent malaria.Nature communications · 2020Article
- Review
- Timing of host feeding drives rhythms in parasite replication.PLoS pathogens · 2018Article
- Dynamic interactions of Plasmodium spp. with vascular endothelium.Tissue barriers · 2017Review
- Evolutionary context for the association of γ-globin, serum uric acid, and hypertension in African Americans.BMC medical genetics · 2015Article
- Incidence of Severe Malaria Syndromes and Status of Immune Responses among Khat Chewer Malaria Patients in Ethiopia.PloS one · 2015Article
- Innate sensing of malaria parasites.Nature reviews. Immunology · 2014Review
- A surprising role for uric acid: the inflammatory malaria response.Current rheumatology reports · 2014Review
- Dual engagement of the NLRP3 and AIM2 inflammasomes by plasmodium-derived hemozoin and DNA during malaria.Cell reports · 2014Article
- Inflammatory Flt3l is essential to mobilize dendritic cells and for T cell responses during Plasmodium infection.Nature medicine · 2013Article
- Endothelial cells potentiate interferon-γ production in a novel tripartite culture model of human cerebral malaria.PloS one · 2013Article
- Plasmodium falciparum-derived uric acid precipitates induce maturation of dendritic cells.PloS one · 2013Article
- A potential role for plasma uric acid in the endothelial pathology of Plasmodium falciparum malaria.PloS one · 2013Article
- Transient deficiency of dendritic cells results in lack of a merozoite surface protein 1-specific CD4 T cell response during peak Plasmodium chabaudi blood-stage infection.Infection and immunity · 2012Article
- Plasmodium falciparum histones induce endothelial proinflammatory response and barrier dysfunction.The American journal of pathology · 2012Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Infection of erythrocytes with the Plasmodium parasite causes the pathologies associated with malaria, which result in at least one million deaths annually. The rupture of infected erythrocytes triggers an inflammatory response, which is induced by parasite-derived factors that still are not fully characterized. Induced secretion of inflammatory cytokines by these factors is considered a major cause of malaria pathogenesis. In particular, the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is thought to mediate most of the life-threatening pathologies of the disease. Here we describe the molecular characterization of a novel pathway that results in the secretion of TNF by host cells. We found that erythrocytes infected by Plasmodium accumulate high concentrations of hypoxanthine and xanthine. Degradation of Plasmodium-derived hypoxanthine/xanthine results in the formation of uric acid, which triggers the secretion of TNF. Since uric acid is considered a "danger signal" released by dying cells to alert the immune system, Plasmodium appears to have co-evolved to exploit this warning system. Identifying the mechanisms used by the parasite to induce the host inflammatory response is essential to develop urgently needed therapies against this disease.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.