Damage to surface membrane of Schistosoma mansoni by pristane (2, 6, 10, 14 tetramethyl pentadecane) and other hydrophobic compounds.

Intraperitoneal injection of cercariae into pristane (2, 6, 10, 14 tetramethyl pentadecane)-primed Balb/c mice led to greatly diminished numbers of portal and peritoneal worms compared with untreated mice. Schistosomula taken from the peritoneal cavity of pristane-primed mice carried globules of pristane on their surfaces, were contracted and were permeable to Trypan blue. Pristane globules bound also to adult worms in vitro and in vivo causing rapid damage to the surface membrane. Hydrophobic compounds other than hydrocarbons either bound without causing gross damage, or did not bind to the adult worms. 51Cr release studies showed that pristane had no effect on the permeability of human erythrocytes, while causing significant release from both schistosomula and adult worms. The binding of hydrocarbon globules to a variety of other parasites did not occur. The binding of n-[1-14C]hexadecane to adult Schistosoma mansoni was significantly decreased by extraction of the parasite with organic solvents or treatment with staphylococcal delta toxin, which interacts with phospholipids in the membrane. Possible mechanisms of damage of the parasite by the hydrocarbons are discussed.