title: Altered Cardiomyocyte Function and Trypanosoma cruzi Persistence in Chagas Disease.
abstract: Chagas disease, caused by the triatominae Trypanosoma cruzi, is one of the leading causes of heart malfunctioning in Latin America. The cardiac phenotype is observed in 20-30% of infected people 10-40 years after their primary infection. The cardiac complications during Chagas disease range from cardiac arrhythmias to heart failure, with important involvement of the right ventricle. Interestingly, no studies have evaluated the electrical properties of right ventricle myocytes during Chagas disease and correlated them to parasite persistence. Taking advantage of a murine model of Chagas disease, we studied the histological and electrical properties of right ventricle in acute (30 days postinfection [dpi]) and chronic phases (90 dpi) of infected mice with the Colombian strain of T. cruzi and their correlation to parasite persistence. We observed an increase in collagen deposition and inflammatory infiltrate at both 30 and 90 dpi. Furthermore, using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, we detected parasites at 90 dpi in right and left ventricles. In addition, we observed action potential prolongation and reduced transient outward K(+) current and L-type Ca(2+) current at 30 and 90 dpi. Taking together, our results demonstrate that T. cruzi infection leads to important modifications in electrical properties associated with inflammatory infiltrate and parasite persistence in mice right ventricle, suggesting a causal role between inflammation, parasite persistence, and altered cardiomyocyte function in Chagas disease. Thus, arrhythmias observed in Chagas disease may be partially related to altered electrical function in right ventricle.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Minas Gerais, Brazil; Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jader Santos
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Minas Gerais, Brazil; Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Artur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Santos-Miranda
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Minas Gerais, Brazil; Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Policarpo Ademar
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Sales-Junior
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Minas Gerais, Brazil; Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Renata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Monti-Rocha
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Minas Gerais, Brazil; Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paula Peixoto
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Minas Gerais, Brazil; Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fabiana Simão
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Minas Gerais, Brazil; Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil drcbio@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Danilo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Roman-Campos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002598:Chagas Cardiomyopathy / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000502:physiology*; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology