Evidence of L-arginine-dependent production of NO in P. falciparum-harboring RBCs. Uninfected RBCs and PfRBCs incubated with the fluorescent dye 4,5-diaminofluorescein diacetate (DAR-4M AM, a specific NO probe) and L-arginine showed intense fluorescence in the parasite (red color), increasing with the developmental stage of the parasite, indicating intra-parasite production of NO (A1-5). Preincubation of PfRBCs with 3 mM L-NAME, a competitive inhibitor of mammalian NOS, caused a significant reduced fluorescence (B). Intense intra-parasite fluorescence from a P. falciparum sample freshly isolated from malaria patients and incubated in vitro during 48 hours ((C), one representative sample).

Rey J, Buffet PA, Ciceron L, Milon G, Mercereau-Puijalon O, Safeukui I. Reduced erythrocyte deformability associated with hypoargininemia during Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Sci Rep. 2014 Jan 20;4:3767. PMID: 24441939