Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this assay was characterize the infection by P. berghei in three groups of inbred mice produced in the facilities laboratory animals of the INDICASAT-Panamá, for determine the group more convenient to use as a biomodel in ethnobotanical compound testing against malaria.

Materials and methods: A group of mice CB6F1 (BALB/c x C57BL/6) and two inbred strain of mice: C57BL/6 and BALB/c, were parasitized with P. berghei(ANKA), and were evaluated the weight average, parameters of behavior and the integrity of Brain Blood Barrier, these data were related to the parasitaemia. The behavior parameters assessment allowed evaluate both general health and neurological reflexes of the mice and these were correlated with four stages involved with the pathology of the Cerebral Malaria.

Results: In reference to the average weight, all the animals of the three groups lost weight, this decrease did not present significant differences between them (p=0.8841, p>0.05). When relating the four stage with the developmental of malaria, the stages III and IV were related to the manifestation of Cerebral Malaria, verified by the Brain Blood Barrier injured. Thirty seven percentage (37%), of the CB6F1 mice showed signs of Stage IV, sixty-three percentage (63%), showed signs of Stage III, both with 24% of parasitaemia. The 100% of the C57BL/6 mice presented the Stage III, with 28% of parasitaemia, and the BALB/c didn´t presented cerebral malarial signs, although presented parasitaemias of 60%.

Conclusions: The tests carried out allowed relate functional and neurological behavior patterns with percentages of parasitaemia, and determine to the CB6F1 mice as a model that manifests Cerebral Malaria with low percentages of parasitaemia, as occurs in humans, considered susceptible mice. At the same time, that was verify the condition of susceptible strains and non-susceptible strains to BALB/c, C57BL/6, the mice reproduced in the INDICASAT AIP Bioterio, for to realize assays of antimalarial etnobothanics agents.

Keywords

mice, cerebral malaria, C57BL/6, BALB/c, CB6F1, P. berghei, public health, malaria disease, patients, neurological deficits