Effect of Bacillus cereus hemolysin II on hepatocyte cells

• Published in: Applied biochemistry and microbiology 2015-03, Vol.51 (2), p.255-263
• Main Authors: Kholodkov, O. A, Budarina, Zh. I, Andreeva-Kovalevskaya, Zh. I, Siunov, A. V, Solonin, A. S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bacillus cereus; Bacteria; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; cell membranes; cell walls; Cells; digitonin; drugs; dyes; fluorescence; hepatocytes; hepatotoxicity; Life Sciences; Liver; mechanism of action; Medical Microbiology; Microbiology; molecular weight; Permeability; Russian Academy of Sciences; To the 50th Anniversary of the Skryabin Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms; Toxins
• ISSN: 0003-6838; 1608-3024
• DOI: 10.1134/S000368381502009X

We investigated the efficiency of increasing the permeability (permeabilization) of cell membranes in primary liver cells by Bacillus cereus hemolysin II. An assessment of the degree of permeabilization was carried out by measuring the fluorescence intensity of various low molecular weight dyes, which enter through pores into hepatocyte cells cultivated with hemolysin. We uncovered a high efficacy of hemolysin HlyII action on hepatocyte cell walls, which exceeded the effect of nonionic detergent, digitonin, which is commonly employed for pore formation in various cell membranes. Our results also point to the reversibility of membrane permeabilization in primary hepatocytes. The data obtained in this study can be utilized for assessments of pore-forming activity, in studies of hepatic mechanisms of action, and also the determination of the liver toxicity for different low molecular weight drugs.