Ultrastructural effects of KA on intracellular amastigotes of <i>Leishmania (L.) amazonensis</i>.

<p>(<b>A</b>) General view of untreated infected macrophages showing a typical morphology. Note parasites (<b>stars</b>) within the parasitophorous vacuoles. (<b>B</b>) General view of infected macrophages treated for 1 h and cultivated for 24 h, showing large parasitophorous vacuole. Note reduced number of amastigotes, parasite and flagellar fragments (<b>arrowheads</b>). (<b>C</b>) Infected and treated macrophages presented vacuoles with damaged parasites (<b>stars</b>) or without amastigote forms. (<b>D</b>) Higher magnification of (<b>C</b>); parasites inside PV with alterations in the flagellar membrane (<b>thin arrows</b>) and vesicles inside the flagellar pocket (<b>asterisks</b>). (<b>E</b>) Intracellular amastigotes with membrane profiles in the flagellar pocket (<b>thin arrows</b>) and in the parasite cytoplasm (<b>arrows</b>); intense formation of lipid-like bodies (<b>asterisks</b>) in the cytoplasm of amastigotes forms. (<b>F</b>) Intracellular parasites presented concentric membrane (<b>arrow</b>), kinetoplast swelling (<b>arrow heads</b>) and lipid-like bodies (<b>asterisks</b>). <i>N</i>, nucleus; <i>FP</i>, flagellar pocket; <i>K</i>, kinetoplast; <i>F</i>, flagellum; <i>M</i>, mitochondria; <i>PV</i> parasitophorous vacuole. Bars: (<b>A–C</b>) 5 μm; (<b>D–F</b>) 2 μm.