FIG 5.

Inoculation with synthetic hemozoin decreases parasite liver load in a DNA-dependent manner. Mice were inoculated i.v. with 750 nmol of β-hematin, DNase-treated β-hematin, W-Hz, or DNase-Hz, and rested for 1 week before receiving a 2,000-Pb-ANKA-Luc sporozoite i.v. injection. Parasite liver load was measured 42 h postinfection in photons per second (total flux). Error bars correspond to the SEM. The nonparametric, unpaired Mann-Whitney test showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the naive control group and the groups inoculated with β-hematin or W-Hz. There was also a statistically significant difference between the DNase-Hz and the W-Hz groups, and the DNase-treated β-hematin and the β-hematin groups. The differences in parasite liver load between the naive group and the DNase-treated β-hematin group, or the DNase-Hz group were not significant. ns, P > 0.05; *, P ≤ 0.05; **, P ≤ 0.01; n = 24.