Fig. 2

Comparison of malaria hemozoin and Schistosoma hemozoin. A Under light microscopy (LM), malaria hemozoin is observed within a schizont. Hz, hemozoin. B Freshly collected malaria hemozoin as visualized under LM. C–E Collected malaria hemozoin examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). He, heme polymer or heme aggregation; Li, lipids. F Formation of malaria hemozoin in the digestive vacuole along with the membrane. White arrows indicate hemozoin. G Energy spectrum analysis reveals the presence of iron in malaria hemozoin. H Various degrees of degraded Schistosoma hemozoin granules are located near the microvilli in the Schistosoma gut. Black arrows indicate the degraded granules, while the white arrow indicates the lipid droplets after the degradation of the heme polymer layer of the hemozoin granules. I This schematic diagram illustrates that in the anterior section of the Schistosoma intestine, free heme accumulates in lipid droplets, resulting in the formation of hemozoin granules. Subsequently, in the posterior region of the gut, these granules undergo degradation, beginning with the heme polymer layer, followed by the lipid layer. J In malaria parasites, free heme dissolves in lipid droplets, initially forming aggregates or polymers that can develop into crystal-like structures. The combination of heme polymers and lipids constitutes hemozoin, which may exist in a dynamic equilibrium with the cytoplasm, facilitating the absorption and release of heme and lipids. All scale bars represent 1 μm