Hemolytic properties of hexachlorophene and related chlorinated bisphenols

Abstract

Although hexachlorophene (HCP) and other chlorinated bisphenols are not hemolytic in vivo, even when administered at lethal doses, incubation of these compounds with nucleated and non-nucleated erythrocytes in vitro produces hemolysis. Chlorinated bisphenols are effective hemolytic agents at concentrations of 2 × 10 −5 to 2 × 10 −4 M. The hemolytic effect of the chlorinated bisphenols is characteristic of the erythrocyte donor species rather than dependent on the presence or absence of nucleation in the red cells. Of all the species tested, fish erythrocytes are the most susceptible and turkey erythrocytes are the most resistant to hemolysis by HCP though both are nucleated. No correlation was found between the hemolytic activity of the chlorinated bisphenols and their lipophilic character or the degree of ionization (p Ka). Whole plasma or solutions of human and bovine serum albumin, hemoglobin and other proteins protected the erythrocytes against hemolysis induced by chlorinated bisphenols. The protection varied somewhat with the chlorinated bisphenol in question and differed among proteins of the same type from different species.