Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 31, 2026
Tractable Mammalian Cell Infections with Protozoan-primed Bacteria
Published on: April 2, 2013
[Cytotoxic effect of Acanthamoeba trophozoite on HeLa cells]
Objective:
To investigate the cytotoxic effect(CTE) on human cervix cancer HeLa cells induced by five strains of pathogenic free-living Acanthamoeba.
Methods:
The cytotoxic effect of five isolates of Acanthamoeba on HeLa cells was investigated by light microscopy and MTT method.
Results:
The photomicrographs of HeLa cells showed a sequence of cardinal morphological features of apoptosis when HeLa cells were exposed to Acanthamoeba in a time-dependent manner at a ratio of 1:1 for 12 h. MTT method showed more than 50% of tumor cells underwent cytolysis following exposure to A. lugdunensis trophozoites, and only 18% of cells treated with A. polyphaga underwent CTE. The CTE produced by A. lugdunensis and A. quina trophozoites was more rapid than the others, beginning as early as 6 h after coincubation and resulting in cytolysis by 72 h.
Conclusion:
These five strains of Acanthamoeba exhibit cytotoxic effects of varying degrees on HeLa cells, inducing apoptosis.
