In vitro studies on cholesterol metabolism in the blood fluke<i>Schistosoma mansoni</i>

Abstract

Abstract Adult Schistosoma mansoni were axenically maintained in NCTC 109 culture media containing 14 C labeled acetate or mevalonate. Dibromide derivatives prepared from purified blood fluke cholesterol exhibited a lack of significant radioactivity on examination by liquid scintillation spectrometry. Autoradiographic electron microscopy of tissues from flukes maintained in the presence and absence of labeled acetate and especially fixed to retain cholesterol revealed a similar random distribution of nonspecific grains. However, when particulate labeled cholesterol was supplied, a count of 6,832 dpm was found in the dibromide derivative. Under the above maintenance conditions S. mansoni adults do not synthesize cholesterol from acetate or mevalonate but most probably obtain this sterol from the host animal.