Effect of iron on adherence and cytotoxicity of Entamoeba histolytica to CHO cell monolayers

Iron is an essential element for almost all living organisms. The possible role of iron for growth, adherence and cytotoxicity of Entamoeba histolytica was evaluated in this study. The absence of iron from TYI-S-33 medium stopped amebic growth in vitro. However, iron concentrations in the culture media of 21.4-285.6 μM did not affect the growth of the amebae. Although growth was not retarded at these concentrations, the adhesive abilities of E. histolytica and their cytotoxicities to CHO cell monolayer were correlated with iron concentration. Amebic adhesion to CHO cell monolayers was significantly reduced by low-iron (24.6 ± 2.1%) compared with 62.7 ± 2.8 and 63.1 ± 1.4% of amebae grown in a normal-iron and high-iron media, respectively. E. histolytica cultured in the normal- and high-iron media destroyed 69.1 ± 4.3% and 72.6 ± 5.7% of cultured CHO cell monolayers, but amebae grown in the low-iron medium showed a significantly reduced level of cytotoxicity to CHO cells (2.8 ± 0.2%). Addition of divalent cations other than iron to amebic trophozoites grown in the low-iron medium failed to restore levels of the cytotoxicity. However, when E. histolytica grown in low-iron medium were transferred to normal-iron medium, the amebae showed completely restored cytotoxicity within 7 days. The result suggests that iron is an important factor in the adherence and cytotoxicity of E. histolytica to CHO cell monolayer.