ArticlePloS one2016
Granular Formation during Apoptosis in Blastocystis sp. Exposed to Metronidazole (MTZ).
Article in PloS one, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Systematic Review about the Efficacy of Antiparasitic Agents in the Treatment of Blastocystis Species.Acta parasitologica · 2025Pooled it
- Prevalence and Subtypes of Blastocystis in Symptomatic Children in Egypt and Anti-Blastocystis Efficacy of Artemisia alba-Loaded Silver Nanoparticles In Vitro and in Swiss Albino Mice.Acta parasitologica · 2026Article
- Lactobacillus probiotics potential in Blastocystis infection: in vitro and in vivo studies.Gut pathogens · 2025Article
- Higher amoebic and metronidazole resistant forms of Blastocystis sp. seen in schizophrenic patients.Parasites & vectors · 2022Article
- Distinct Phenotypic Variation ofBiology · 2022Article
- Comparison of apoptotic responses in Blastocystis sp. upon treatment with Tongkat Ali and Metronidazole.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- In vitro susceptibility of humanSaudi journal of biological sciences · 2021Article
- Production of bone mineral material and BMP-2 in osteoblasts cultured on double acid-etched titanium.Medicina oral, patologia oral y cirugia bucal · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The role and function of the granular life cycle stage in Blastocystis sp, remains uncertain despite suggestions being made that the granules are metabolic, reproductive and lipid in nature. This present study aims to understand granular formation by triggering apoptosis in Blastocystis sp. by treating them with metronidazole (MTZ). Blastocystis sp.cultures of 4 sub-types namely 1, 2, 3 and 5 when treated with 0.01 and 0.0001 mg/ml of metronidazole (MTZ) respectively showed many of the parasites to be both viable and apoptotic (VA). Treated subtype 3 isolates exhibited the highest number of granular forms i.e. 88% (p<0.001) (0.0001 mg/ml) and 69% (p<0.01) (0.01 mg/ml) respectively at the 72 h in in vitro culture compared to other subtypes. These VA forms showed distinct granules using acridine orange (AO) and 4',6-diamino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining with a mean per cell ranging from 5 in ST 5 to as high as 16 in ST 3. These forms showed intact mitochondria in both viable apoptotic (VA) and viable non-apoptotic (VNA) cells with a pattern of accumulation of lipid droplets corresponding to viable cells. Granular VA forms looked ultra-structurally different with prominent presence of mitochondria-like organelle (MLO) and a changed mitochondrial trans-membrane potential with thicker membrane and a highly convoluted inner membrane than the less dense non-viable apoptotic (NVA) cells. This suggests that granular formation during apoptosis is a self-regulatory mechanism to produce higher number of viable cells in response to treatment. This study directs the need to search novel chemotherapeutic approaches by incorporating these findings when developing drugs against the emerging Blastocystis sp. infections.
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