Trypanosoma evansi: Effect of experimental infection on the osmotic fragility, lipid peroxidation and calcium-ATPase activity of rat red blood cells.
Trypanosoma evansi is the causative agent of equine trypanosomoses. The disease is characterized by fever, anemia, and cachexia. Peroxidative damage of the red blood cells caused by the parasite, may contribute to the pathogenesis of the anemia seen in trypanosomoses. Consequently, we evaluated the hematocrit, the osmotic fragility of the red blood cells, the level of lipid peroxidation and the activity of the Ca-ATPase of red blood cell ghosts from rats experimentally infected with T. evansi. After 72 h inoculation, the hematocrit decreased from 49.5% to 33%; the osmotic fragility of the red blood cells was approximately 40% higher as compared to the healthy animals; and the red blood cell ghosts showed a higher level of lipid peroxidation and a lower Ca-ATPase activity than the red cell ghosts from the healthy animals. In vitro incubations of red blood cells from healthy animals with T. evansi, produced also a significant increase of the osmotic fragility of the red blood cells.
Mijares
Alfredo
A
Laboratorio de Fisiología de Parásitos, Centro de Biofísica y Bioquímica, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, A.P. 21827, Caracas 1020A, Venezuela.
Vivas
Jeilyn
J
Abad
Cilia
C
Betancourt
Meyerling
M
Piñero
Sandy
S
Proverbio
Fulgencio
F
Marín
Reinaldo
R
Portillo
Ramón
R
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000252:Calcium-Transporting ATPases / Q000378:metabolism*; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000469:parasitology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology*; D006400:Hematocrit; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008297:Male; D009996:Osmotic Fragility; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances / Q000032:analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D014345:Trypanosoma / Q000502:physiology*; D014352:Trypanosomiasis / Q000097:blood*
D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; D000252:Calcium-Transporting ATPases