Ultrastructure and viability of cryopreserved Plasmodium falciparum*

Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 55 (2-3): 299-304 (1977) Ultrastructure and viability of cryopreserved Plasmodium falciparum * C. L. DIGGS,1 M. AIKAWA,2 & J. D. HAYNES 3 Cryopreserved chimpanzee erythrocytes infected with Plasmodium falciparum were examined by electron microscopy directly and after a period of culture. Light microscopic observations on the viability of cryopreserved parasites in culture were also made. Para- sitaemia data from a chimpanzee infected with parasites cryostoredfor more than 21/2 years are presented. Varying degrees of damage were apparent as the parasites were examined in vitro, for viability, and by electron microscopy. Schizonts appear not to survive the process, whereas the ability of " ring " trophozoite forms to develop into large trophozoites in vitro varies from 20 % to 100 % in different preparations. Cryopreserved material exam- ined by electron microscope showed degenerative changes in most of the parasites, but after 72 h of cultivation most of the parasites appeared normal. These findings suggest that some organisms may sustain reversible damage during cryostorage. In 1975, our laboratory at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research reported a successful cryopres- ervation method for Plasmodium falciparum. After thawing and reconstitution of these parasitized cells to isotonicity, they were comparable to freshly ob- tained material with respect to their ability to infect owl monkeys (Aotus trivirgatus) and to incorporate radioactive amino acids (1). Since that time, para- sites preserved in this way have been used as the starting material for long-term culture experiments both in our laboratories (2) and in those of the Rockefeller University (W. Trager, personal commu- nication, 1976). The rationale of the cryopreserva- tion method was the assumption that the intraery- throcytic malaria parasites would be preserved best under conditions that also preserved the host ery- throcytes best. We thus adopted a method used at the American National Red Cross Blood Research * In conducting the research described in this report, the investigators adhered to the Guide for the care and use of laboratory animals. Washington, DC, US Government Printing Office (DHEW Publication No. (NIH) 74.23) prepared by the Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources, National Research Council. 1 Chief, Department of Immunology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington, DC 20012, USA. Requests for reprints should be addressed to this author. 2 Professor of Pathology, Case Western Reserve Univer- sity, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA. 3Immunologist, Department of Immunology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington, DC 20012, USA. Laboratory, Bethesda, MD, for freezing small amounts of blood for subsequent laboratory testing. This method has been adequate for all our needs so far. In this communication we report on the ultra- structure of cryopreserved parasites and of cultured parasites derived from them, and on the infectivity of cryopreserved parasites after more than 21/2 years of storage. MATERIALS AND METHODS Parasites The parasites used in this study were the Camp strain of P. falciparum adapted to the chimpanzee from the owl monkey. Cryopreservation The cryopreservation method was as previously described (1) except that: thawing was accomplished at 37°C; all centrifugation steps during reconstitu- tion were at 400 g for 5 min.; and each 2-ml aliquot of cryopreserved cells received 4 ml of 27% sorbitol over a 13-min period, 4 ml of 5% sorbitol over a 10- min period, and another 4 ml of 5 % sorbitol over an 8-min period after centrifugation and discarding of the supernatant fluid. The method employs glycerol as the cryoprotective agent. Culture Malaria parasites were cultured as previously de- scribed (2). 3609 299 - C. L. DIGGS ET AL. Electron microscopy Parasitized erythrocytes were fixed at room tem- perature in 2% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 mol/litre of cacodylate or 0.05 mol/litre of phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) containing 4% sucrose. The specimens were postfixed in 1% osmium tetroxide for 1 h, dehydrat- ed, and embedded in Epon 812. Sections were cut with a Porter-Blum MT-2 ultramicrotome with a DuPont diamond knife, mounted on copper grids, and stained with 1% uranyl acetate and lead citrate. Sections were examined with a Siemens Elmiskop 101 electron microscope. RESULTS Survival ofparasites in vitro Cryopreserved schizonts did not develop during culture to any appreciable extent. The degree of survival of " ring " trophozoite forms was variable. The percentages of such forms that grew into larger trophozoites during 24 hours in culture in a series of experiments using cryopreserved and reconstituted P. falciparum in chimpanzee erythrocytes were 20, 100, 40, 70, and 94%. In a single experiment in which P. falciparum in owl monkey erythrocytes was studied, 2000 of the " ring " trophozoites survived. Electron microscopy Cryopreserved P. falciparum. A significant propor- tion of the erythrocytes from the cryopreserved samples were haemolysed and were irregular in shape. The cytoplasm lacked the uniformly electron- dense matrix seen in normal erythrocytes. It was finely fibrillar or was completely devoid of the cytoplasmic matrix except along the erythrocyte membrane (Fig. 1). Most of the parasites from cryopreserved samples showed degenerative changes. The degree of degeneration appeared to correlate with the degree of haemolysis of the host cell. Merozoites were extremely electron-dense, but the nucleus and various cytoplasmic organelles could be identified (Fig. 1). On the other hand, schizonts were swollen and severely disintegrated (Fig. 1), and the nucleus and cytoplasmic organelles were often diffi- cult to identify. The plasmalemma of these schizonts was disrupted. Although their cytoplasm was finely granular, the morphology of uninucleate tropho- zoites was better preserved than that of the two other forms (Fig. 2). Cultivated P. falciparum. During the first 4 hours after cultivation, only uninucleate trophozoites were observed. They were vacuolated and frequently showed myelin figures in the cytoplasm. The struc- tural integrity of the nucleus and cytoplasmic organelles was, however, preserved fairly well. During 24-48 hours of cultivation, the cytoplasmic changes were not as prominent as those seen during the first 4 hours of cultivation. The cytoplasm showed a few vacuoles, swollen mitochondria, and dilated endoplasmic reticulum (Fig. 3, 4). All forms of erythrocytic P. Jalciparum were identifiable 72 hours after cultivation. The morphology of these parasites appeared relatively normal (Fig. 5, 6). Infectivity after cryostorage The greatest duration of storage of parasites with subsequent recovery and testing in an experimental animal was 968 days. On 8 April 1973, erythrocytes (30 % of which were parasitized) were obtained from a chimpanzee and cryopreserved. On 1 December 1975, this material was reconstituted and approxi- mately 2.5 x 108 parasitized cells were injected by the intravenous route into a healthy young chimpanzee. The course of parasitaemia in this animal is illustrat- ed in Fig. 7. As can be seen, patency was observed 24 hours after injection and the parasites increased continuously from then until day 7, at which time 58% of the erythrocytes in the recipient were parasi- tized and it became necessary to treat the animal. DISCUSSION These results, along with the experience presented elsewhere, confirm the utility of the cryopreservation 0 0 0 0 U) H llJ 0 I r U 0 LuJ NJ 0f) I0 0ooo I, = ooo _rc_ 1000 = 100 I A= 2 3 4 5 DAYS AFTER CHALLENGE Fig. 7. Course of parasitaemia in a chimpanzee inoculated with 3 x 108 P. falciparum-parasitized erythrocytes cryopreserved 968 days previously. 300 60 f Fig. 1. Low magnification electron micrograph of cryopreserved P. falciparum. The nucleus and cytoplasm of merozoites (M) are electron-dense, but the structural integrity is preserved. On the other hand, the structure of a schizont (S) is completely disrupted. Erythrocytes (H) show haemolytic changes (1 1 000 x). Fig. 3. A schizont of P. falciparum 48 h after cultivation. The cytoplasm shows swollen mito- chondria (Mi) and vacuoles, but the structural integrity is well preserved. The nuclei appear to be normal (20 000 x). :re ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~....... Fig. 2. A cryopreserved young trophozoite of P. falciparum in an erythrocyte. The cytoplasm is finely granular, but the structure is preserved (23 000 x). Fig. 4. A trophozoite 48 h after cultivation. Small vesicles and dilated endoplasmic reticulum (arrow) are apparent, but this parasite appears to be preserved better than that of Fig. 3 (24 000x). Fig. 5. Three trophozoites infecting an erythrocyte. The fine structure is preserved very well. Distinct nuclei (N), food vacuoles (F) with malarial pigment particles, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, and ribosomes can be seen (13 000 x). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~... .. Fig. 6. A schizont of P. falciparum 72 h after cultivation (N = nucleus). The structure is normal. No signs of degeneration can be seen in this parasite (1 6 000 x). CHARACTERISTICS OF CRYOPRESERVED P. FALCIPARUM method in use in our laboratory. The ultrastructural studies suggest that damage is sustained during freezing, storage, and/or reconstitution of isotonici- ty, but that this damage is reversible. This interpreta- tion must be guarded, however, since the parasites studied immediately after thawing and those studied after culture were from two different preparations. Although the methods were the same, uncontrolled variables, such as differences in the amount of mechanical stress and minor differences in the rate of addition of the sorbitol solutions, were undoubtedly present and could be reflected in differences in ultrastructure. These factors may account for the differences in survival noted in the culture ex- periments. However, sublethal damage during cryo- preservation has been described in the case of mam- malian cells (3) and its presence would not be sur- prising in the case of malaria parasites. In addition to apparent reversible damage, many of the para- sites-especially the schizonts-clearly are killed during storage and retrieval. In parallel with the apparent repair process in vitro, the rapid development of parasitaemia ob- served in the chimpanzee that received parasites stored for over 21/2 years, suggests that, in spite of the damage noted at the ultrastructural level, para- sites stored with the present method are comparable to fresh material as regards infectivity. These results indicate that the duration of storage is possibly quite long and perhaps much longer than will be required for most purposes, now that culture of the parasites is practicable. Although the present technology is " good enough" for present purposes, it is to be expected that future requirements will be different. The pre- sent method suffers from several limitations: the manipulations are tedious and it is somewhat diffi- cult to maintain sterility throughout all the steps involved. Apparently, only the small trophozoites are well preserved with the present method. Further- more, although the necessary quantitative studies have not been performed, it appears likely that even these forms will prove not to survive as well as fresh material. For many purposes, it would be desirable to preserve other stages of parasites, including gameto- cytes, schizonts (which clearly are killed by the currently used procedure), and especially merozoites. In order to develop more effective and easier methods, it is desirable that further research on the cryopreservation of P. falciparum as well as other parasites should be explored. Other published methods (4-7) may warrant further exploration for this purpose. Such newer methods as the use of hydroxyethyl starch (8) as a cryoprotective agent and newly designed equipment for blood preserva- tion are well worth investigation. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors thank Dr Robert Desjardins, Dr John Rinehart, and Dr Fred Hines for allowing them to present the chimpanzee data. They thank Dr Jeffrey Chulay, Mr James Dillon, and Miss Cynthia Hall for assistance and Mrs Jean Guidas for preparing the manuscript. RI2SUMIt ULTRASTRUCTURE ET VIABILITE DE PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM CRYOCONSERVE' Des 6rythrocytes cryoconserves de chimpanzes infectes par Plasmodium falciparum ont ete examines en microsco- pie electronique directe ainsi qu'apres une certaine periode de culture. Des observations au microscope optique relatives a la viabilite des parasites cryoconserves, en culture, ont egalement e faites. En outre, des don- nees sur la parasit6mie, recueillies sur un chimpanze infecte avec des parasites cryoconserves pendant plus de deux ans et demi, sont presentees. L'etude de la viabilite in vitro et l'examen en microscopie electronique revelent des degres variables de lesion des parasites. Les schizontes semblent ne pas survivre a ce traitement, tandis que la proportion des formes annulaires de trophozo'tes capables de se developper en gros trophozoites in vitro est comprise entre 20 et 100% selon les preparations. Alors qu'en microscopie electronique, la plupart des parasites cryoconserves presentaient des alterations degeneratives, la majorite d'entre eux apparaissaient nor- maux apres une periode de 72 heures de culture. D'apres ces constatations, il serait possible que certains micro- organismes subissent des lesions reversibles au cours du traitement de cryoconservation. 303 304 C. L. DIGGS ET AL. REFERENCES 1. DIGGS, C. L. ET AL. 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