A Silicon Rhodamine-fused Glibenclamide to Label and Detect Malaria-infected Red Blood Cells

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Diagnostics
• Parasitology
• Chemical Biology

Background:

• Malaria, caused by Plasmodium falciparum, impacts millions globally.
• Accurate detection of malaria parasites in red blood cells is crucial for diagnosis.
• Existing diagnostic tools may be insufficient in resource-limited settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel fluorescent probe for malaria parasite detection.
• To assess the utility of the probe in combination with portable microscopy for field diagnostics.

Main Methods:

• Design and synthesis of silicon rhodamine-fused glibenclamide (SiR-glib).
• Testing SiR-glib's fluorescent and labeling properties in mammalian cells and infected red blood cells.
• Integration of SiR-glib with a smartphone-based microscope for rapid parasite identification.

Main Results:

• SiR-glib demonstrated effective far-red fluorescence and labeling of endoplasmic reticulum.
• The probe successfully labeled asexual stages of Plasmodium falciparum in red blood cells.
• Combined SiR-glib and smartphone microscopy enabled rapid identification of parasitized red blood cells.

Conclusions:

• SiR-glib is a promising fluorogenic probe for visualizing malaria parasites.
• The SiR-glib and smartphone microscopy system shows potential for point-of-care malaria diagnostics.
• This approach could improve malaria detection in underserved rural regions.