Article
Microbiology
Gabriela de A. Burle-Caldas, Nailma S. A. dos Santos, Julia T. de Castro, Fernanda L. B. Mugge, Viviane Grazielle-Silva, Antonio Edson R. Oliveira, Milton C. A. Pereira, Joo Luis Reis-Cunha, Anderson Coqueiro dos Santos, Dawidson Assis Gomes, Daniella C. Bartholomeu, Nilmar S. Moretti, Sergio Schenkman, Ricardo T. Gazzinelli, Santuza M. R. Teixeira
Summary: Trans-sialidases (TS) are enzymes present on the surface of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, and play a crucial role in the late stages of intracellular development and parasite egress. In this study, TS knockout parasites were generated using CRISPR-Cas9 technology, resulting in impaired parasite egress from infected cells. These TS mutants lost their ability to cause infection in vivo but provided full protection against a challenge infection with a virulent strain, indicating their potential as a live attenuated vaccine against Chagas disease.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Diego Rodney Rodrigues de Assis, Alexandre Almeida Oliveira, Samuel Luiz Porto, Rayane Aparecida Nonato Rabelo, Eduardo Burgarelli Lages, Viviane Correa Santos, Matheus Marques Milagre, Stenio Perdigao Fragoso, Mauro Martins Teixeira, Rafaela Salgado Ferreira, Carlos Renato Machado, Lucas Antonio Miranda Ferreira, Nivaldo Lucio Speziali, Heloisa Beraldo, Fabiana Simao Machado
Summary: (English Summary:)
This study investigated the potential antichagasic activities of thiosemicarbazones and hydrazones as new anti-T. cruzi drug candidates. Compounds C1 and C3 showed anti-parasitic activity in macrophages without toxicity to host cells, and were also effective in directly killing trypomastigotes. Moreover, C1 and C3 attenuated parasitemia in T. cruzi-infected mice and maintained anti-T. cruzi activity in vivo when loaded in a lipid nanocarrier system.
BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Estefania Prochetto, Ivan Bontempi, Luz Rodeles, Gabriel Cabrera, Miguel Vicco, Paula Cacik, Maria Florencia Pacini, Monica Perez Gianeselli, Ana Rosa Perez, Ivan Marcipar
Summary: The study demonstrates the potential role of a new therapeutic vaccine in the treatment of chronic Chagas disease. The results show that the vaccine can reduce the progression of heart disease and decrease heart parasite load.
Article
Immunology
Alessandro Marins-Dos-Santos, Jackline de Paula Ayres-Silva, Dina Antunes, Carlos Jose de Carvalho Moreira, Marcelo Pelajo-Machado, David Alfaro, Agustin G. Zapata, Adriana Cesar Bonomo, Wilson Savino, Juliana de Meis, Desio Aurelio Farias-de-Oliveira
Summary: This study demonstrates that Trypanosoma cruzi causes high tissue parasitism during the acute phase of Chagas disease. In mice with acute oral infection, the bone marrow cells are highly parasitized, particularly in the perivascular, intravascular, and near bone regions. The infection leads to a decrease in hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow, except for an increase in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. The study also suggests that the spleen may play a role in emergency hematopoiesis during acute T. cruzi infection. Overall, this research provides important insights into the impact of T. cruzi infection on the hematopoietic system.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Gabriela de A. Burle-Caldas, Nailma S. A. dos Santos, Julia T. de Castro, Fernanda L. B. Mugge, Viviane Grazielle-Silva, Antonio Edson R. Oliveira, Milton C. A. Pereira, Joao Luis Reis-Cunha, Anderson Coqueiro dos Santos, Dawidson Assis Gomes, Daniella C. Bartholomeu, Nilmar S. Moretti, Sergio Schenkman, Ricardo T. Gazzinelli, Santuza M. R. Teixeira
Summary: Trans-sialidases play a crucial role in the virulence of Trypanosoma cruzi, and using CRISPR-Cas9, aTS mutant parasites were generated which lost infectivity in vivo but provided full protection against a challenge infection with a virulent strain.
Review
Immunology
Kelli Monteiro da Costa, Leonardo Marques da Fonseca, Jhenifer Santos dos Reis, Marcos Andre Rodrigues da Costa Santos, Jose Osvaldo Previato, Lucia Mendonca-Previato, Leonardo Freire-de-Lima
Summary: Chagas' disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, was described by Dr. Carlos Chagas in the early 20th century. One important discovery was trans-sialidase, an enzyme that masks the parasite's presence and dampens the immune response. Research into the disease has identified key events in the biochemical mechanism of T. cruzi-host cell interactions.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Natalia Lins da Silva-Gomes, Leonardo Alexandre de Souza Ruivo, Claudia Moreira, Marcelo Meuser-Batista, Cristiane Franca da Silva, Denise da Gama Jaen Batista, Stenio Fragoso, Gabriel Melo de Oliveira, Maria de Nazare Correia Soeiro, Otacilio C. Moreira
Summary: In this study, genetically modified strains of Trypanosoma cruzi were used to evaluate the role of NTPDases in parasite infectivity. The results showed that parasites overexpressing TcNTPDase-1 had higher infectivity, while hemi-knockout parasites had lower infectivity and no significant electrocardiographic changes. These findings highlight the potential of NTPDases as a therapeutic target for Chagas disease.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Nidiyare Hevia-Montiel, Paulina Haro, Leonardo Guillermo-Cordero, Jorge Perez-Gonzalez
Summary: This research demonstrates the effectiveness and accuracy of deep learning methods based on the U-Net convolutional network architecture in the segmentation of histological images for Chagas disease.
Article
Immunology
Juan Cruz Gamba, Carolina Roldan, Estefania Prochetto, Giuliana Lupi, Ivan Bontempi, Carolina Veronica Poncini, Monica Vermeulen, Ana Rosa Perez, Ivan Marcipar, Gabriel Cabrera
Summary: The study demonstrates the significant influence of MDSCs on the immune response during T. cruzi infection, even in vaccinated mice, impacting various immune cell populations. Targeting MDSCs may be an effective tool in vaccine design against T. cruzi and potentially other conditions characterized by immune system subversion.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Carolina Prolo, Damian Estrada, Lucia Piacenza, Diego Benitez, Marcelo A. Comini, Rafael Radi, Maria Noel Alvarez
Summary: This study shows that the lack of superoxide radical produced by Nox2-deficient macrophages leads to increased susceptibility to T. cruzi infection in a murine model. Reconstitution of intraphagosomal superoxide radical formation in these macrophages restores the control of infection. The presence of Nox2-derived superoxide radical plays a crucial role in controlling early phase T. cruzi infection in a murine model of Chagas disease.
Article
Immunology
Camila Victoria Sousa Oliveira, Oscar Moreno-Loaiza, Daniel Figueiredo-Vanzan, Isalira Peroba Ramos, Hilton Mata-Santos, Marcelo Torres Bozza, Claudia Neto Paiva, Emiliano Medei
Summary: This study investigated the role of IL-1 beta in chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy (CCC) using a mouse model. The results showed that the absence of functional IL-1 beta/IL-1R signaling did not prevent or reverse the decrease of cardiac function and the incidence of arrhythmias induced by CCC. Therefore, ruling out the IL-1 beta signaling pathway is an important step to discourage further attempts of IL-1 beta blockade as a therapeutic measure for CCC.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Vivian Paulino Figueiredo, Maria Claudia Silva, Debora Maria Soares de Souza, Diogenes Coelho Jr, Lais Roquete Lopes, Maira de Araujo Azevedo, Ana Paula de Jesus Menezes, Wanderson Geraldo de Lima, Maria do Carmo Gouveia Peluzio, Andre Talvani
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of different strains of T. cruzi infection on atherosclerotic lesions in aged ApoE-/- mice, and found that infection with the Col strain caused increased parasite growth and worsened aortic root lesions.
MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Albany Resendiz-Mora, Giovanna Barrera-Aveleida, Anahi Sotelo-Rodriguez, Ivan Galarce-Sosa, Irene Nevarez-Lechuga, Juan Carlos Santiago-Hernandez, Benjamin Nogueda-Torres, Sergio Meza-Toledo, Saul Gomez-Manzo, Isabel Wong-Baeza, Isabel Baeza, Carlos Wong-Baeza
Summary: Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is a major public health problem endemic in Latin America and emerging globally. Current treatments, Benznidazole and Nifurtimox, have limited efficacy in the chronic phase. This study synthesized a non-polar molecule, B-NIPOx, which was shown to have higher trypanocidal activity than the reference drugs, reduced blood parasitemia and amastigote nests in infected mice, and prevented the development of Chagasic enteropathy.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Maria Augusta Dario, Cristiane Varella Lisboa, Samanta Cristina das Chagas Xavier, Paulo Sergio D'Andrea, Andre Luiz Rodrigues Roque, Ana Maria Jansen
Summary: This study investigated the transmission cycle of Trypanosoma sp. in nonflying small mammals in an area where a case of acute Chagas disease occurred. Despite the low mammalian species richness and degraded environment, a high species richness of Trypanosoma, mainly T. janseni, was observed.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Luciana L. Soprano, Maximiliano R. Ferrero, Malena Landoni, Gabriela A. Garcia, Monica I. Esteva, Alicia S. Couto, Vilma G. Duschak
Summary: This study evaluated the effects of GlcNAc6S on T. cruzi infection using a mouse experimental model. The findings showed that sulfotopes and their specific antibodies play a crucial role in cardiac tissue damage and T. cruzi infection.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)