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Whole-body modelling of glucose and lactate dynamics in plasmodium falciparum malaria

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2020

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Main Author: Meyer, Johannes Petrus
Other Authors: Van Niekerk, David Douglas
Format: Thesis
Language:en_ZA
Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2020
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access_status_str Open Access
author Meyer, Johannes Petrus
author2 Van Niekerk, David Douglas
author_browse Meyer, Johannes Petrus
Van Niekerk, David Douglas
author_facet Van Niekerk, David Douglas
Meyer, Johannes Petrus
author_sort Meyer, Johannes Petrus
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv Stellenbosch University
description Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2020
format Thesis
id oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/108287
institution Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
language en_ZA
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:42:59.065Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
publishDate 2020
publishDateRange 2020
publishDateSort 2020
publisher Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
publisherStr Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
record_format dspace
source_str SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
spelling oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/108287 Whole-body modelling of glucose and lactate dynamics in plasmodium falciparum malaria Meyer, Johannes Petrus Van Niekerk, David Douglas Snoep, Jacky L. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Science. Dept. of Biochemistry. Metabolism -- Disorders Public Health -- Developing countries Blood glucose Blood lactate UCTD Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2020 ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Malaria is the most important parasitic disease affecting man, and continues to threaten public health in developing countries where the disease is endemic. Within the genus Plasmodium, falciparum is responsible for nearly all deaths from malaria worldwide. Two symptoms that are indicative of severe disease and a high risk of mortality are hypoglycaemia (HG - plasma glucose below 2.2 mM) and hyperlactataemia (HL - plasma lactate in excess of 5.5 mM). Though multiple causes of these metabolic comorbidities have been identified qualitatively, there exists a dearth of quantitative evidence that can give a reliable approximation of which aetiological factors have the highest relative contribution to the appearance of these symptoms. Such a quantitative approach would not only improve our understanding of how malaria progresses to severe disease, but also indicate which mechanisms of host-parasite interaction would be the most amenable to targeting by novel antimalarial chemotherapeutics, since new anti-malarial drugs are required to combat the threat of acquired resistance. One tool that has proved useful in the process of identifying novel drug targets is mathematical modelling. In this study we present a whole-body model of host and parasite metabolism that can provide a quantitative assessment of glucose and lactate dynamics in both the healthy and infected state. This model, termed meyer1, combines independently published models describing separate aspects of host and parasite metabolism to yield an in silico platform that is subsequently used to investigate the relative quantitative contribution of the putative causes of HG/HL in the infected state. Results from model simulations and subsequent metabolic control analysis (MCA) indicated that heterogenous parasite sequestration within the microvasculature of organs important in mediating wholebody glucose and lactate homeostasis has the greatest quantitative impact on the appearance of HG/HL; this finding agrees with qualitative statements previously made in literature. In addition, MCA identified several key enzymatic components of parasite and infected erythrocyte glucose metabolism that, if targeted, would yield the greatest contribution in preventing the appearance of hypoglycaemia in severe disease. These include parasite derived new permeability pathways (NPPs), the parasite glucose transporter (PHT1), and parasite hexokinase and phosphofructokinase. In addition to these findings, the final meyer1 model also provides a platform amenable to further development as more clinical data for model parametrisation becomes available. New experimental studies would also assist in providing the data required to supersede the current phenomenological expressions with mechanism-based implementations representing host-parasite interactions mediating microvascular occlusion. This will ultimately lead to more precise identification of novel drug targets at the molecular level that can inhibit the process of parasite sequestration and subsequently help prevent the appearance of HG/HL in severe P. falciparum malaria. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaar. Masters 2020-02-25T15:45:07Z 2020-04-28T12:30:08Z 2020-02-25T15:45:07Z 2020-04-28T12:30:08Z 2020-03 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/108287 en_ZA Stellenbosch University 174 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
spellingShingle Metabolism -- Disorders
Public Health -- Developing countries
Blood glucose
Blood lactate
UCTD
Meyer, Johannes Petrus
Whole-body modelling of glucose and lactate dynamics in plasmodium falciparum malaria
title Whole-body modelling of glucose and lactate dynamics in plasmodium falciparum malaria
title_full Whole-body modelling of glucose and lactate dynamics in plasmodium falciparum malaria
title_fullStr Whole-body modelling of glucose and lactate dynamics in plasmodium falciparum malaria
title_full_unstemmed Whole-body modelling of glucose and lactate dynamics in plasmodium falciparum malaria
title_short Whole-body modelling of glucose and lactate dynamics in plasmodium falciparum malaria
title_sort whole body modelling of glucose and lactate dynamics in plasmodium falciparum malaria
topic Metabolism -- Disorders
Public Health -- Developing countries
Blood glucose
Blood lactate
UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/108287
work_keys_str_mv AT meyerjohannespetrus wholebodymodellingofglucoseandlactatedynamicsinplasmodiumfalciparummalaria