Biodepressive effect of zinc on humoral effector of the Holothuria polii immune response

High zinc ion concentrations produce an inhibitory effect on the naturally occurring hemolytic activity of the Holothuria polii coelomic fluid and coelomocyte lysate. The naturally occurring hemagglutinating activity remains unaffected. The inhibition appears reversible, suggesting a non-covalent interaction of the ions with the hemolysins. Moreover, as demonstrated by SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting analysis, the Zn super(++) treatment does not produce molecular weight variations in the coelomic fluid and coelomocyte lysate hemolytic patterns. This study was conducted during 1987 on samples gathered from the Gulf of Palermo, Italy.