[Change of erythrocyte charge with the use of Alcian blue method in Ascaris lumbricoides extracts].

Introduction: the study of the host-parasite interactions is a new challenge to understanding some aspects of the parasitic metabolism and the mechanisms of invasion, immunological evasion and damage. Ascaris lumbricoides may cause anemia and thrombosis. It was previously shown that Ascaris lumbricoides modified the superficial charge of erythrocytes, which means that the parasite can capture sialic acid from the red blood cell.

Objective: to study the effect of adult parasite extracts on the erythrocyte charge using the Alcian Blue method and to compare its sensitivity with the Polybrene method:

Methods: fifty five adult parasite extracts and Group O erythrocyte suspensions were used. The erythrocytes were treated by incubating the sediment with an equal volume of parasite extracts for one hour at 37 degrees C. The control group (erythrocytes without any contact with the parasite extracts) was incubated with pH 7.4 phosphate buffer solution. Alcian Blue method was applied and the percentage erythrocyte anionic charge was determined in the control group and in the treated red cells. The experimental coefficient of erythrocyte anionic charge was defined as the quotient between the initial and the final percentage erythrocyte anionic charge.

Results: it was shown that 27 out of 55 parasite extracts (49.1 %) modified the charge of the red blood cells, being their experimental coefficient of the erythrocyte anionic charge 0.75 +/- 0.1144 whereas the same coefficient amounted to 0,94 +/- 0.0445 for those which did not show any charge variation. The statistical analysis concluded that the Polybrene and Alcian Blue Methods had comparable sensitivities (p>0.20).

Conclusions: A. lumbricoides is able to capture sialic acid from the erythrocyte, which would not only explain the thrombosis attributed to the parasite, but also suggest that the nematode could use this acid either in its metabolic routes or for its strategies of immunological evasion.