J Appl Biomed 10:35-40, 2012 | DOI: 10.2478/v10136-012-0003-1

Phagocytosis of insect haemocytes as a new alternative model

Josef Berger^*, Martina Jurčová

Department of Clinical and Preclinical Studies, Faculty of Health and Social Studies, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

Phagocytosis is an important function of both insect haemocytes and mammalian blood cells. Linden bugs and cotton leaf worms have been suggested as new alternative models for ecological and drug toxicology but no data on their haemocyte physiology have been published. Our assays with particle ingestion of the NBT test were carried out on prohaemocytes, granulocytes, plasmatocytes and spherulocytes of adult linden bug and cotton leaf worm larvae. We found that phagocytic activity is on average 10% in the linden bug, and 50% in cotton leaf worm haemocytes: the phagocytic index is 3.5 in both species and nitroblue tetrazolium reduction is 0.5 in the linden bug and 3.2 in the cotton leaf worm. Phagocytic charactersitics of the prohaemocytes and granulocytes in the cotton leaf worm are closed to mammalian neutrophil physiology. Our data suggest that cotton leaf worm haemocytes may be a new potential alternative model for screening of phagocytosis.

Keywords: alternative model; phagocytosis; particle ingestion; NBT; linden bug; cotton leaf worm

Received: October 14, 2011; Revised: December 9, 2011; Published: March 31, 2012  Show citation