A malaria gametocytocidal assay using oxidoreduction indicator, alamarBlue

Efforts to move from malaria control to eradication will require new approaches to block malaria transmission, such as the development of anti-malarial drugs with gametocytocidal activity. Here fluorescent oxidoreduction indicator alamarBlue is used to develop a screen for gametocyte viability. The fluorescent signal increases linearly with gametocyte number (R(2)=0.99) and determination of the IC(50) of epoxomicin demonstrated the assay was reproducible and sensitive (IC(50) 2.16±0.57 nM, Z'-factor 0.81±0.01). Six anti-malarials were also tested and at 10 microM only primaquine and dihydroartemisinin (DHA) had gametocytocidal activity. This new assay provides an important tool to efficiently screen compounds for gametocytocidal activity.