Studies on the antiperoxide and antihaemolytic action of polyamines using human erythrocytes

Blood RBC's were used to study the role of polyamines, putrescine, spermidine and spermine individually as antioxidants against the peroxidative action of H₂O₂ which leads to haemolysis of erythrocytes. Results indicated that putrescine did not act as antioxidant at all concentrations used in our studies. However, spermidine and spermine suppressed peroxidative changes in RBC's due to the action of H₂O₂ and this suppression was greater with higher concentration of these individual polyamines used, separately. Further, all the three polyamines decreased haemolysis of erythrocytes at all concentrations studied. The action of putrescine to suppress haemolysis of RBC's without showing antioxidant property hypothetically suggests that these properties of respective polyamines may have independent mechanism of action.