Sodium Polyanethol Sulfonate : Introduction, Properties, Uses and Demerits

Sodium polyanethol sulfonate (SPS) merits and demrits

Introduction of Sodium Polyanethol Sulfonate

Sodium polyanethol sulfonate (SPS) is a synthetic polymer of anetholesulfonic acid i.e. a polyanionic detergent. It is a commonly used anticoagulant in human blood culture media. Its trade name is liquoid. Its constituent in culture media uses to grow bacteria from blood samples of patients suspected of bacteremia. SPS prevents the killing of bacteria by various means like innate cellular and humoral factors. The research articles are suggestive of the effect of SPS on the three complement activation pathways i.e. the classical, alternative, and lectin pathways. SPS inhibits complement activity by blocking complement activation and is not a result of complement consumption.

Properties of Sodium Polyanethol Sulfonate

Its application in  blood culture medium for following properties:

  1.  Anticoagulant: An anticoagulant substance that inhibits clotting.
  2. Anti complement: A substance that counteracts the action of a compliment.
  3. Anti phagocyte:  An agent that stops phagocytic action.
  4. Anti aminoglycosidic antibiotics: A substance that ceases mode of action of aminoglycosidic antibiotics.
  5. Lyses the blood cells and release intracellular bacteria that makes easy to recover etiological agent.

Use of Sodium Polyanethol Sulfonate

Uses of SPS  are  important for the following purposes:

  •  Sodium Polyanethol Sulfonate (SPS) uses for the differentiation of anaerobic cocci. For example, Peptostreptococcus anaerobious susceptible to SPS while Peptostreptococcus asaccharolytics resistant to SPS.
  • Similarly, differentiation of Gardnerella vaginalis from other catalase-negative, Gram variable coccobacillus is achieved by demonstration of the susceptibility of G. vaginalis to SPS.
  • Its concentration is available in different ranges like  SPS  uses in growth media (e.g., BACTEC and BacT/Alert) at concentrations from 0.3 to 0.5 mg/ml whereas, under the trade name Liquoid, SPS  uses in concentrations of 0.25 to 0.5 mg/ml, most often 0.35 mg/ml in growth media.

Demerits of Sodium Polyanethol Sulfonate

The use of SPS as an anticoagulant in blood culture may interfere with the ability to isolate  SPS susceptible organisms from bacteremic patients.

SPS susceptible organisms are-

  1. Peptostreptococcus anaerobious
  2. Gradenella vaginalis
  3. Haemophilus ducreyi

Further Readings

  1. Clinical Microbiology Procedure Handbook, Chief in editor H.D. Isenberg, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, Publisher ASM (American Society for Microbiology), Washington DC.
  2. Mackie and Mc Cartney Practical Medical Microbiology. Editors: J.G. Colle, A.G. Fraser, B.P. Marmion, A. Simmous, 4th ed, Publisher Churchill Living Stone, New York, Melborne, Sans Franscisco 1996.
  3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2832435/
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