Effects of chloroquine onPlasmodium knowlesi in vitro

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Abstract
The binding of chloroquine to DNA isolated from P. knowlesi has been investigated. In the presence of increasing concentrations of malarial DNA, the absorption spectrum of chloroquine exhibited strong hypochromism in the range 325–350 nm, small red shifts of the absorption maxima and an isosbestic point at 300 nm. The fluorescence emission of the drug at 380 nm (excitation 330 nm) was quenched five-fold by malarial DNA. Chloroquine itself protected malarial DNA from thermal denaturation. These data are consistent with binding of the drug to malarial DNA as has been suggested from studies with DNA from bacteria and mammalian cells. The binding affinity for malarial DNA is of the same order as that for mammalian DNA.The effect of chloroquine on the metabolism of P. knowlesi in culture was also investigated. There was a direct correlation between concentrations of drug which affect the morphology of parasites and those which affect markedly the incorporation of 3H-adenosine into DNA and RNA, 14C-isoleucine incorporation into protein and the formation of lactate as a result of respiration. However, all processes were inhibited to the same extent, indicating that binding to DNA is not the only action of the drug.The mode of action of chloroquine and the question of resistance to it are discussed.One of us (P. I. T.) received financial assistance from the World Health Organization. We thank Dr F. Hawking and Dr J. Williamson for many helpful discussions, Dr K. N. Brown for reading through the manuscript, and Miss Jane Dunnett, Mrs A. C. Gutteridge and Mr T. Scott-Finnigan for skilled technical assistance.