| dc.description.abstract | The malaria vaccine is an important strategy for the global malaria elimination program,
but the complexity of the Plasmodium antigen is a major hurdle in malaria vaccine development.
The cysteine-rich interdomain region 1α (CIDR1α) of Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane
protein 1 (PfEMP1) is crucial in malaria pathogenesis, making it a vaccine candidate. This study
investigated the leukocyte and IgM response generated after administering a CIDR1α-PfEMP1
recombinant protein injection in Wistar rats. The rats were divided into a control group, who received
a physiological saline solution (PSS), and a treatment group, who were subcutaneously injected with
150 µg of purified CIDR1α-PfEMP1 protein three times at the 3-week interval. Blood samples were
collected every week after each injection. The number of leukocytes were counted using a Neubauer
chamber, and the IgM concentration was determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
(ELISA). Data were analyzed using an independent, paired-T test, a Mann–Whitney test, and a
Wilcoxon test, based on the distribution of the data. The total number of leukocytes notably increased
on day 29 (p < 0.05). The percentage of neutrophils decreased, especially on day 8 (p < 0.05), whereas
the percentages of monocytes and lymphocytes increased, primarily on day 14 (p < 0.05). The IgM
concentration increased on day 14 (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the CIDR1α-PfEMP1 recombinant protein
may induce leukocyte and IgM responses, making it a potential malaria vaccine candidate. | en_US |
