[Assay of haemolymph protein concentration in Anopheles stephensi].

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the changes of haemolymph protein concentration in adult Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes under different feeding conditions. METHODS: Haemolymph samples from four groups of adult An. stephensi, fed with sucrose solution, normal blood, plasmodium-infected blood and nitroquine, respectively, were collected by expulsion method. The concentration of haemolymph protein was examined by Bradford method. The results were analyzed automatically by Excel program. RESULTS: The level of protein concentration in the infected blood-fed group was higher than the sucrose solution group and normal blood group at day 8 after Plasmodium yoelii infection, the average concentration was 4.436, 3.080 and 3.092 micrograms/microliter, respectively. The haemolymph protein concentration (2.264 micrograms/microliter) in the nitroquine-administered mosquitoes was lower than the infected blood-fed mosquitoes. CONCLUSION: The haemolymph protein concentration of the adult An. stephensi decreases after the nitroquine administration, indicating that the haemolymph proteins may be involved in the melantotic encapsulation reaction of plasmodial oocysts.