Figure 3.

Effect of saquinavir and lopinavir on exoerythrocytic form (EEF) morphology. Drugs were added to sporozoite-infected hepatocytes immediately after a 1-h sporozoite invasion period (after which unattached sporozoites were washed away); shown are confocal images of representative 46–48-h EEFs. A, Control with no drug. B, Saquinavir at 10 µmol/L. C, Saquinavir at 40 µmol/L. D, Control with no drug. E, Lopinavir at 10 µmol/L. F, Lopinavir at 40 µmol/L. Nuclear staining with 3,3'-diaminobenzidine (blue) shows the host cell nuclei. The bar indicates 6 microns. Diameters in assays fixed at 46 h are slightly smaller. Treatment at 40 µmol/L resulted in a reduction in EEF size by an average of 42% for saquinavir and 75% for lopinavir, compared with control.