Parnpen Viriyavejakulพรรณเพ็ญ วิริยเวชกุลVasant Khachonsaksumetวสันต์ ขจรศักดิ์สุเมธChuchard Punsawadชูชาติ พันธ์สวัสดิ์Mahidol University. Faculty of Tropical Medicine. Department of Tropical Pathology.Mahidol University. Center for Emerging and Neglected Infectious Diseases.2015-02-242016-10-052015-02-242016-10-0520142015-02-192014-03-17Viriyavejakul P, Khachonsaksumet V, Punsawad C. Liver changes in severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria: histopathology, apoptosis and nuclear factor kappa B expression. Malar J. 2014 Mar 17;13:106.1475-2875 (electronic)https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/765BACKGROUND: Liver involvement in severe Plasmodium falciparum infection is commonly a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among humans. The clinical presentation of jaundice often reflects a certain degree of liver damage. This study investigated the liver pathology of severe P. falciparum malaria as well as the regulation and occurrence of apoptosis in cellular components of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded liver tissues. METHODS: The liver tissues used in the study came from patients who died from P. falciparum malaria with hyperbilirubinaemia (total bilirubin (TB)≥ 51.3 μmol/L or 3 mg/dl) (12 cases), P. falciparum malaria without hyperbilirubinaemia (TB<51.3 μmol/L) (10 cases); and patients who died due to accidents, whose liver histology was normal (the control group) (10 cases). The histopathology of the liver tissue was studied by routine histology method. Caspase-3 and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65 expressions were determined using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The severity of liver histopathology, occurrence of apoptosis and NF-κB p65 activation in P. falciparum malaria were associated with higher TB level. Significant correlations were found between NF-κB p65 expression and apoptosis in Kupffer cells and lymphocytes in the portal tracts. CONCLUSIONS: Hyperplastic Kupffer cells and portal tract inflammation are two main features found in the liver tissues of severe P. falciparum malaria cases. In addition, NF-κB is associated with Kupffer cells and lymphocyte apoptosis in severe P. falciparum malaria.engMahidol UniversityApoptosisBilirubinCleaved caspase-3ImmunohistochemistryKupffer cellsLiverMalariaNuclear factor kappa B,NF-κB p65Plasmodium falciparumOpen Access articleArticleBioMed Central10.1186/1475-2875-13-106.