The Effects of Iron Supplementation on the Growth Rate and Antioxidant Activity of Trichomonas vaginalis

Trichomonas vaginalis is a common protozoan parasite found in females and males worldwide. The parasite causes mild to severe inflammations in the urogenital tract. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of iron excess on the growth rate and the activity of antioxidant enzymes in T. vaginalis. The parasite was cultured in Diamond’s Trypticase Yeast Maltose (TYM) media with and without iron supplementation and assessed at 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15 days post inoculation (dpi). The results showed significant higher numbers of the parasite in medium with iron supplementation. Furthermore, our findings revealed higher activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GPX and CAT) in parasites cultured with iron supplementation. In conclusion, the present experiment showed that iron increased not only the multiplication rate but also the antioxidant activities of T. vaginalis. It seems that iron could protect T. vaginalis from toxic oxygen metabolites during tissue invasion and helps the parasite to maintain its pathogenicity for the host.