Nystatin (Nys), the polyene antibiotic, is a known hemolytic agent. The kinetics and the mechanism of hemolysis induced by this antibiotic are similar to those of amphotericin B (AmB) [1, 2, 3], belonging to the same group of the antibiotics. Present results have shown some essential differences in the influence of mono- and disaccharides on the hemolytic activity of Nys, compared to the influence described for AmB [4].

The experiments were carried out on human, pig and horse erythrocytes with absorption spectrophotometric method (λ=590 nm). In the standard incubation medium (isotonic KCl solution), the resistance of mammalian erythrocytes to Nys is about 30 times higher than the resistance to AmB. In monosaccharide media (isotonic solutions of glucose, galactose, mannose, mannitol), the resistance of erythrocytes to Nys does not differ significantly from that in KCl medium, while the resistance of erythrocytes to AmB in these conditions increases about 2 times in comparison to KCl medium. Replacement of KCl with disaccharide media (isotonic solutions of sucrose, lactose, maltose), leads to the increase of the resistance to Nys about 3 times, while in the same conditions the erythrocyte resistance to AmB is increased about 200 times. Both antibiotics, Nys and AmB, form within mammalian erythrocyte membranes transport systems responsible for hemolysis. The results obtained in the presence of saccharide media indicate that the systems formed by Nys are much less selective than those of AmB. The Nys ability to form these systems is much less sensitive to the changes in the chemical composition of the erythrocyte incubation medium.

1. Knopik-Skrocka A., Bielawski J. 2002. The mechanism of the hemolytic activity of polyene antibiotics. Cell. Mol. Biol. Lett. 7: 31-48.

2. Knopik-Skrocka A., Bielawski J., Głąb M., Klafaczyńska A., Wulkiewicz M. 2003. A kinetics study of pig erythrocyte hemolysis induced by polyene antibiotics. Cell. Mol. Biol. Lett. 8: 439-454.

3. Knopik-Skrocka A., Buldańczyk A. 2004. The response of horse erythrocytes to polyene antibiotics. Biol. Lett. 41: 27-39.

4. Knopik-Skrocka A. Bielawski J., Wrzeszcz K., Bochanysz A. and Nowak K. 2007. Modifications of hemolytic activity of polyene antibiotics by mono- and disaccharides in mammalian erythrocytes. Biol. Lett. 44 (in press).

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