Changes in the shape of photodynamically damaged Tetrahymena pyriformis cellsстатья
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Дата последнего поиска статьи во внешних источниках: 20 сентября 2013 г.
Аннотация:Protozoan cells are highly sensitive to adverse conditions and so are often used as a test system for estimating the toxicity of low doses of various factors and studying the mechanisms of cell damage in the absence of complicated neurohumoral control. In this respect, of interest are works by Clark who demonstrated that protozoans are damaged by electric current pulses to a higher degree than healthy human cells are; Clark suggested that severe diseases caused by unicellular parasites should be treated by unipolar, positive electric current pulses (at frequencies of 2–20 kHz) [1]. Ciliates from the genus Tetrahymena are especially interesting because they are similar to multicellular organisms in the diversity and complexity of functions, as well as many metabolic processes [2]. Mitochondria of T. thermophila are involved in nuclear degeneration during an apoptosis-like process [3]. The mitochondria of T. pyriformis are similar to mitochondria of the mammalian liver, e.g., in the cytochrome c content, respiratory control ratio, and P/O values [4]. As early as in the 1960s, the antioxidant activities of different substances were compared on the basis of their protective effect on T. pyriformis cells subjected to photodynamic damage [5], specifically, irradiation with visible light in the presence of a photosensitizer and oxygen [6].