Abstract
An attempt has been made to prevent drug-induced hemolysis and to clarify the mechanism of the protective effective of chondroitin sulfate. As a result of these studies, it was found that chondroitin sulfate (10-4 and 5×10-4M) had a protective effect on chlorpromazine-induced hemolysis and K+ efflux. Scanning electron microscopic observations indicated that chondroitin sulfate reduced the cell swelling at relatively lower concentrations of chlorpromazine and significantly prevented the shrinking and sinking of the cells at higher concentrations. The erythrocytes pretreated with chondroitin sulfate, however, had little protective effect against osmotic and heat-induced hemolysis. The experiment on 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonate bindig to the ghosts pretreated with chondroitin showed that the hydrophobic environment of the membrane was not significantly affected by the exposure. The cells aggregated in the medium with chondroitin sulfate added, probably due to electrostatic repulsion. The aggregation appears partially to protect the cells from contact with the drug, as indicated by the data that chondroitin sulfate at 10-4 and 5×10-4M slightly blocked the binding of the cell membrane, and to decrease drug-induced hemolysis. Another protecting effect is ascribed to the inhibitory effect of the compound on hemoglobin diffusion.
