UV-MALDI-TOF-MS analysis of glycosphingolipids from Plasmodium falciparum by using nor-harmane and GA as matriz.

ERRA-BALSELLS ROSA,; NONAMI HIROSHI, .; LANDONI MALENA ,; COUTO ALICIA S

Nagoya, Japon

Congreso; 52nd Annual Conference on Mass Spectrometry; 2004

Mass Spectrometry Society of Japan

Abstract Malaria remains a major health problem, especially in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, thus, developing new antimalarial drugs constitutes an urgent challenge. Lipid metabolism has been attracting a lot of attention as application for malaria chemotherapeutic purposes in the last years. However, little is known about glycosphingolipid biosynthesis in Plasmodium falciparum. In this report we perform a structural analysis of  the glycosphingolipids present in the three intraerythrocytic stages of the parasite by UV-MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The ceramide, monohexosylceramide, trihexosylceramide and tetrahexosylceramide fractions were isolated by TLC and analysed.   Keywords: Glycosphigolipids, malaria, UV-MALDI-TOF-MS, Glycomics, GA, nor-harmane