Comparative analysis of biochemical parameters in the blood of malaria patients: correlation with treatment response to artemether-lumefantrine combination therapy

Background Malaria remains a major health concern in many parts of the world. Globally, about 260 million malaria cases and 600,000 malaria-related deaths, caused by different Plasmodium spp ., are recorded annually. Biochemical markers play a crucial role in the diagnosis or prognosis of malaria, and the blood levels of the associated biomarkers could be altered upon infection or post-treatment with antimalarials. This study aimed to investigate the impact of artemether-lumefantrine combination therapy on the serum levels of biochemical markers in malaria patients. Method Blood samples were collected from 30 malaria patients and matched with those from 20 healthy control subjects. Parasitaemia and blood levels of selected liver function, kidney function, and inflammation markers were measured in malaria patients and healthy control subjects. The malaria patients were treated with the standard dose of artemether-lumefantrine combination therapy. After recovery from malaria, parasitaemia and blood levels of the selected markers were measured again. Results During infection with P. falciparum , serum ALT and AST were reduced, parasitaemia and serum CRP were increased, while serum urea, creatinine, and neopterin remained statistically unchanged when compared with their levels in healthy control subjects. After treatment with artemether-lumefantrine combination therapy, serum creatinine and CRP levels were reduced, AST was increased, while parasitaemia, ALT, urea, and neopterin levels remained statistically unchanged when compared with their levels in malaria patients pre-treatment. Conclusion Taken together, our data demonstrated that infection with P. falciparum can modulate the serum levels of key hepatic, renal, and inflammatory markers. Furthermore, treatment with artemether-lumefantrine combination therapy is effective in reversing some of the pathological changes caused by P. falciparum in malaria patients.