Quantitative evaluation of intracellular degradation in Entamoeba invadens.
A quantitative study on digestion of erythrocytes by Entamoeba invadens was attempted. Trophozoites of the IP-1 strain were fed red blood cells for 30 min, and subsequently phagocytosis was stopped by means of osmotic shock; post-phagocytosis incubations for up to 15 h were made in order to evaluate intracellular digestion, after staining the red blood cells with benzidine. Eighty-two per cent of trophozoites were capable of phagocytosing erythrocytes, containing an average of 5.5 erythrocytes per amoeba. Erythrocyte digestion within amoebae was shown by loss of benzidine-stainable material and proceeded with a first-order kinetics, with a t1/2 approximately 7 h. Within 15 h there were no amoebae containing erythrocytes. The procedure described may be useful for the evaluation of intracellular digestion in other Entamoeba species.
Ramírez-Córdova
J D
JD
Laboratorio de Cultivo de Tejidos, División Biología del Desarrollo, Unidad de Investigación Biomédica de Occidente, Guadalajara, Mexico.
Ramírez-Romo
S
S
Mora-Galindo
J
J
D000818:Animals; D004063:Digestion; D004747:Entamoeba / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D010587:Phagocytosis