Open AccessIn vitro lysis of the bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense by stearylamine-bearing liposomes
Author(s) -
Hiroshi Tachibana,
Eisaku Yoshihara,
Yoshimasa Kaneda,
Taiji Nakae
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.07
H-Index - 259
eISSN - 1070-6283
pISSN - 0066-4804
DOI - 10.1128/aac.32.7.966
Subject(s) - liposome , phosphatidylcholine , lysis , in vitro , hemolysis , biology , cytolysis , microbiology and biotechnology , african trypanosomiasis , phospholipid , biochemistry , chemistry , cytotoxicity , virology , membrane , trypanosomiasis , immunology
Cytolytic activity of liposomes consisting of stearylamine and phosphatidylcholine (SA/PC-liposomes) was examined in vitro against the bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense. More than 99% of the cells (2 X 10(6)/ml) were killed within 30 min by treatment with 15 mol% SA/PC-liposomes (100 microM total lipids). As few as 1.2 X 10(12) liposomes per ml (equivalent to 2 nM liposome) showed trypanocidal activity. Fluorescence microscopy of cells treated with the dansylated SA/PC-liposomes suggested that the liposomes bound to and accumulated on the cell surface, eventually damaging the plasma membrane. SA/PC-liposomes showed no significant hemolysis when incubated with human and mouse erythrocytes under conditions that killed greater than 99.9% of the T. b. gambiense trypomastigotes. Human leukocytes were also shown to be less susceptible to SA/PC-liposomes than T. b. gambiense. These results may point to a new direction in strategy for therapy of African trypanosomiasis.