A recent international study, which counted on the participation of GHTM | IHMT NOVA through researcher Fátima Nogueira and PhD student Denise Duarte, and involved several leading institutions, offers new insights into the role of jaundice in Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Traditionally viewed as a marker of disease severity, jaundice may in fact reflect a protective metabolic adaptation.
The researchers found that unconjugated bilirubin—the pigment responsible for jaundice—was more prevalent in asymptomatic malaria cases and appeared to correlate with a higher parasite burden. In mouse models, reducing bilirubin production increased malaria severity, while elevated levels of unconjugated bilirubin were protective.
Mechanistic studies revealed that unconjugated bilirubin inhibits parasite growth, disrupts mitochondrial pyrimidine synthesis, and impairs hemozoin formation, a critical detoxification process for the parasite.
These findings suggest that jaundice may be more than a clinical symptom—it could be an adaptive host response that limits the impact of malaria, opening new avenues for research into host-parasite interactions and potential therapeutic strategies.
This discovery, with the significant contribution of GHTM | IHMT NOVA , strengthens the institute’s role as a center of excellence in tropical disease research and highlights the talent and scientific quality of its team.
Read the article here.
