Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Purification of Extracellular Trypanosomes, Including African, from Blood by Anion-Exchangers (Diethylaminoethyl-cellulose Columns)
Published on: April 6, 2019
Semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase kills African trypanosomes in vitro
Qiao-Ping Wang1, De-Hua Lai, Zhi Li
1Center for Parasitic Organisms, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, and Key Laboratory of Tropical Diseases Control of Ministry of Education, Zhongshan Medical College, Sun Yat-Sen (Zhongshan) University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China.
Abstract:
The African trypanosome Trypanosoma brucei is the cause of sleeping sickness in humans and Nagana in animals. Here we report that semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidases (SSAOs), enzymes that are abound in T. brucei mammal hosts, eliminate trypanosomes by oxidation of its substrate in vitro. SSAO and its endogenous substrate methylamine are not toxic to T. brucei, but parasites were killed in the presence of both of them. SSAO inhibitors antagonized the SSAO-methylamine induced toxicity on T. brucei. The trypanocidal activity was mainly associated with formaldehyde generated in the SSAO mediated oxidation of methylamine. This finding suggests that SSAO may play some roles in non-specific defense of trypanosome infection in mammals.
Related Concept Videos
Antiprotozoal Agents
American Trypanosomiasis
Physical Properties of Amines
Anthelminthic Agents

