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
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Naiara Dutra Barroso Gomes, Emanuel Paula Magalhaes, Lyanna Rodrigues Ribeiro, John Washington Cavalcante, Marcelo Morais Gomes Maia, Felipe Ramon Cunha da Silva, Arif Ali, Marcia Machado Marinho, Emmanuel Silva Marinho, Helcio Silva dos Santos, Alice Maria Costa Martins, Ramon Roseo Paula Pessoa Bezerra de Menezes
Summary: This study evaluated the activity of synthetic p-aminochalcones against T. cruzi and found that they have a trypanocidal effect by causing membrane damage and oxidative stress. Their mechanism of action may be related to inhibition of cruzain and TR.
BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
A. Abras, C. Ballart, A. Fernandez-Arevalo, T. Llovet, M. Gallego, C. Munoz
Summary: The study evaluated two algorithms for the diagnosis of chronic and congenital Chagas disease, with CMIA showing potential as a single diagnostic test in non-endemic countries and the revised algorithm with the >= 6 S/CO proving to be an efficient method for chronic CD diagnosis. For infants with congenital infection, CMIA could potentially be used as a single test for screening at 10 months or earlier, but further research is needed.
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Mariana C. Pagotti, Herbert J. Dias, Ana Carolina B. B. Candido, Thais A. S. Oliveira, Alexandre Borges, Nicoli D. Oliveira, Carla D. Lopes, Renato P. Orenha, Renato L. T. Parreira, Antonio E. M. Crotti, Lizandra G. Magalhaes
Summary: Chagas disease, a neglected tropical disease, affects over 8 million people. Although current therapies have limited effectiveness and high toxicity, the search for new drugs remains important. In this study, neolignans were synthesized and evaluated for their activity against Trypanosoma cruzi strains. Four neolignans demonstrated activity against the T. cruzi strain, with DBN 1 exhibiting the highest activity. In silico analysis showed that these compounds could destabilize tubulin-microtubule interactions. These compounds have potential as molecular prototypes for developing new antiparasitic drugs.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Maria Carmo P. Nunes, Lewis F. Buss, Jose Luiz P. Silva, Larissa Natany A. Martins, Claudia Di Lorenzo Oliveira, Clareci Silva Cardoso, Bruno Oliveira de Figueiredo Brito, Ariela Mota Ferreira, Lea Campos Oliveira, Ana Luiza Bierrenbach, Fabio Fernandes, Michael P. Busch, Viviane Tiemi Hotta, Luiz Mario Baptista Martinelli, Maria Carolina F. Almeida Soeiro, Adriana Brentegani, Vera M. C. Salemi, Marcia M. Menezes, Antonio Luiz P. Ribeiro, Ester Cerdeira Sabino
Summary: This study provides a comprehensive description of the natural history of T. cruzi seropositivity in a contemporary patient population, highlighting the central importance of anti-T. cruzi antibody titer as a marker of Chagas disease activity and risk of progression.
Article
Microbiology
Sergio Castaneda, Marina Munoz, Peter J. Hotez, Maria Elena Bottazzi, Alberto E. Paniz-Mondolfi, Kathryn M. Jones, Rojelio Mejia, Cristina Poveda, Juan David Ramirez
Summary: Chagas disease is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi and has a profound impact on the gastrointestinal tract. Alterations in the gut microbiome caused by the parasite may play a crucial role in host-parasite interactions and immune responses. Understanding this interaction could provide valuable insights into the pathophysiology of the disease and the development of new treatments.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ruben Martin-Escolano, Daniel Molina-Carreno, Javier Martin-Escolano, M. Paz Clares, Cristina Galiana-Rosello, Jorge Gonzalez-Garcia, Nuria Cirauqui, Jose M. Llinares, Maria Jose Rosales, Enrique Garcia-Espana, Clotilde Marin
Summary: Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is a potentially fatal infection that was previously limited to Latin America but has now become widespread globally. This study identified new effective agents against T. cruzi and evaluated their efficacy in vivo. Compound 15 was identified as a potential candidate for the development of new therapies for Chagas disease.
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
Cassiano Cunha de Souza, Jose Aleixo de Azevedo-Franca, Emile Barrias, Stephany C. F. Cavalcante, Eduardo Guimaraes Vieira, Ana Maria Da Costa Ferreira, Wanderley de Souza, Maribel Navarro
Summary: Four novel metal-BZN complexes were synthesized and characterized in this study. The IC50 values of these complexes in inhibiting parasite proliferation stages are five to ten times lower than benznidazole itself. The cytotoxicity in human cells is lower for these complexes compared to BZN, indicating higher selectivity.
JOURNAL OF INORGANIC BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
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
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Leonardo da Silva Lara, Guilherme Curty Lechuga, Lorraine Martins Rocha Orlando, Byanca Silva Ferreira, Bernardo Araujo Souto, Mauricio Silva dos Santos, Mirian Claudia de Souza Pereira
Summary: Chagas disease is a long-standing disease that primarily affects impoverished populations in Latin America. The available drugs have limited effectiveness and intense side effects. This study explores the biological activity of two new series of pyrazole-thiazoline derivatives with potential therapeutic options against Trypanosoma cruzi. These derivatives show potent activity with good oral bioavailability and low cytotoxicity, making them potential candidates for Chagas disease therapy.
Article
Biology
Martha Alicia Ballinas-Verdugo, Rogelio Frank Jimenez-Ortega, Eduardo Martinez-Martinez, Nancy Rivas, Erick Abraham Contreras-Lopez, Roxana Carbo, Fausto Sanchez, Rafael Bojalil, Ricardo Marquez-Velasco, Fausto Sanchez-Munoz, Ricardo Alejandre-Aguilar
Summary: The expression levels of inflammatory microRNAs miR-21, miR-146a and miR-155 were up-regulated in both acutely and chronically infected mouse samples. Notably, miR-146a was consistently up-regulated in all samples from both phases, indicating its potential as a candidate biomarker for Chagas disease.
BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Johny Wysllas de Freitas Oliveira, Mariana Farias Alves da Silva, Igor Zumba Damasceno, Hugo Alexandre Oliveira Rocha, Arnobio Antonio da Silva Junior, Marcelo Sousa Silva
Summary: This study investigated the encapsulation of sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DETC) by poly-lactic acid (PLA) in nanoparticles for the treatment of Chagas disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. The nanoparticles showed reduced toxicity against cells and maintained antiparasitic activity. The physical characterization of the nanoparticles demonstrated a small size and negative zeta potential. The encapsulated DETC exhibited similar efficacy against T. cruzi as the free form.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michael J. da Silva, Andrey P. Jacomini, Davana S. Goncalves, Karlos Eduardo Pianoski, Julia Poletto, Danielle Lazarin-Bidoia, Helito Volpato, Celso Nakamura, Fernanda A. Rosa
Summary: A novel tetrasubstituted pyrazole derivative was discovered to exhibit potent and selective inhibition against both L. amazonensis and T. cruzi, offering a new approach for the treatment of Chagas disease and Leishmaniasis.
BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fanny E. Eberhard, Sven Klimpel, Alessandra A. Guarneri, Nicholas J. Tobias
Summary: The study aimed to detect differences in the intestinal metabolome of the triatomine Rhodnius prolixus and predict exposure status to T. cruzi with high accuracies using logistic regression, a random forest classifier and a gradient boosting machine model. Important features for predicting exposure status and major metabolites for positive classification were identified, highlighting the complex interactions between triatomine vectors and parasites.
COMPUTATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2021)