title: Morphological changes in vascular and circulating blood cells following exposure to detergent sclerosants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate morphological changes in vascular and circulating blood cells following exposure to detergent sclerosants sodium tetradecyl sulfate and polidocanol.
  
  
  METHODS
  Samples of whole blood, isolated leukocytes, platelets, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts were incubated with varying concentrations of sclerosants. Whole blood smears were stained with Giemsa and examined by light and bright field microscopy. Phalloidin and Hoechst stains were used to analyze cytoplasmic and nuclear morphology by fluorescence microscopy. Endothelial cell and fibroblasts were analyzed by live cell imaging.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Higher concentrations of sclerosants induced cell lysis. Morphological changes in intact cells were observed at sublytic concentrations of detergents. Low concentration sodium tetradecyl sulfate induced erythrocyte acanthocytosis and macrocytosis, while polidocanol induced Rouleaux formation and increased the population of target cells and stomatocytes. Leukocytes showed swelling, blebbing, vacuolation, and nuclear degradation following exposure to sodium tetradecyl sulfate, while polidocanol induced pseudopodia formation, chromatin condensation, and fragmentation. Platelets exhibited pseudopodia with sodium tetradecyl sulfate and a "fried egg" appearance with polidocanol. Exposure to sodium tetradecyl sulfate resulted in size shrinkage in both endothelial cell and fibroblasts, while endothelial cell developed distinct spindle morphology. Polidocanol induced cytoplasmic microfilament bundles in both endothelial cell and fibroblasts. Patchy chromatin condensation was observed following exposure of fibroblasts to either agent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Detergent sclerosants are biologically active at sublytic concentrations. The observed morphological changes are consistent with cell activation, apoptosis, and oncosis. The cellular response is concentration dependent, cell-specific, and sclerosant specific.
authors.affiliation: Dermatology, Phlebology and Fluid Mechanics Research Laboratory, St Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research (AMR), St. Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, Australia The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cooley-Andrade
authors.affiliation: Dermatology, Phlebology and Fluid Mechanics Research Laboratory, St Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research (AMR), St. Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, Australia The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Connor
authors.affiliation: Haematology Research Laboratory, St Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research (AMR), St. Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: D D F
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Weisel
authors.affiliation: Dermatology, Phlebology and Fluid Mechanics Research Laboratory, St Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research (AMR), St. Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, Australia The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia kparsi@stvincents.com.au.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Parsi
mesh_terms: D001773:Blood Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D003902:Detergents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012597:Sclerosing Solutions / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012981:Sodium Tetradecyl Sulfate / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D003902:Detergents; D012597:Sclerosing Solutions; D012981:Sodium Tetradecyl Sulfate
keywords: Sclerotherapy; blood cells; endothelial cells; sclerosants