A NOVEL DNA-BASED MICROFLUORIMETRIC METHOD TO EVALUATE ANTIMALARIAL DRUG ACTIVITY

This paper describes the development of a novel microfluorimetric assay to measure the inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum based on the detection of parasitic DNA by intercalation with PicoGreen®. The method was used to determine parasite inhibition profiles and 50% inhibitory concentration values of known or potential antimalarial drugs. Values for parasite inhibition with known antimalarial drugs using the PicoGreen® assay were comparable with those determined by the standard method based upon the uptake of 3H-hypoxanthine and the Giemsa stain microscopic technique. The PicoGreen® assay is rapid, sensitive, reproducible, easily interpreted, and ideally suited for screening of large numbers of samples for antimalarial drug development.

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