Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 April 2009
When Acridine Orange was dispersed in cod-liver oil, its characteristic green fluorescence remained unaltered following absorption of this mixture into the peripheral circulation from the intestine. This result implies that there was little or no change in the lipid or its suspensoid as a result of undergoing this physiological process. The selective combination of this dye in aqueous solution with the cytoplasmic components of specimens of Trypanosoma lewisi, also present in the blood smears with the droplets of the green-appearing oil, resulted in an alteration of fluorescence as indicated by the rose red appearance of these organisms.
The present findings on the absorption of lipid droplets, containing a fluorochrome, by trypanosomes occurring simultaneously in the circulation of rats confirm similar observations reported by Wotton & Halsey (1957). The possibility is suggested again that fats and oils may serve as pharmacological vehicles for orally administered trypanosomides for the elimination of trypanosomes.
Part of this study was carried out in the department of Zoology and Anatomy of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, and was supported in part by a grant from the Nebraska Heart Association for 1959. We would like also to extend our appreciation to the Division of Laboratories of the Nebraska State Health Department of Lincoln, Nebraska, for the use of their ‘Fluorex’, ultraviolet illumination microscope unit.