RNA-seq analysis of the mouse brain reveals inflammatory genes associated with early artesunate treatment of experimental cerebral malaria

Purpose:This study aimed to investigate the transcriptome-wide response of experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) and artesunate treated mice brain on 6 days post-infection. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA to construct a murine ECM in MB and AB group. AB group treated with artesunate (30mg/kg), while CB group treated with PBS for 4 days. Mice brain was tested by RNA-seq. Results: Gene ontology and KEGG pathway analyses of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were performed. quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) verify DEGs such as Il6, Il1b, Il10, Tnf, Ifng, Il21, Icam1, which were up-regulated in MB vs. CB, while down-regulated in AB vs. MB. Conclusions:Our study revealed a transcriptome-wide profile in ECM and artesunate treated mice brain, and help to explore the underlying mechanism, as well as the further development of therapeutic strategies for clinical cerebral malaria. Overall design: Cerebral mRNA profiles of 6 weeks old mice with ECM and ECM mice treated with artesunate