Effects of Echinostoma caproni miracidia dose on the amino acid contents of Biomphalaria glabrata as determined by high-performance thin-layer chromatography

Abstract

AbstractThe effects of 5, 20, and 40 miracidia dose exposures of Echinostoma caproni on the amino acid contents of Biomphalaria glabrata were studied using high performance thin-layer chromatography-densitometry. Amino acids were identified and quantified in whole bodies of exposed snails and in the uninfected matched controls at 2 and 4 weeks post-exposure. Using cellulose layers with the mobile phase 2-butanol-pyridine-glacial acetic acid-deionized water (39:34:10:26) and ninhydrin detection reagent [2% ninhydrin in acetone-n-butanol (1:1)], five amino acids were identified, i.e., leucine/isoleucine, valine, alanine, glycine, and ornithine, by hRF value comparison and color differentiation. Quantitatively, there was a marked elevation in the amounts of four of these five amino acids (isoleucine/leucine, valine, alanine, and ornithine) across dose levels at 4 weeks post-infection (P<0.05). Elevation of the amino acid content in the high dose snail group suggested that some changes occurred in the amino acid metabolism of the snails in that group as a function of miracidia dose.