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Chagas disease is a major public health issue, affecting ∼10 million people worldwide. Transmitted by a protozoan named Trypanosoma cruzi, this infection triggers a chronic inflammatory process that can lead to cardiomyopathy (Chagas disease). Resolvin D1 (RvD1) is a novel proresolution lipid mediator whose effects on inflammatory diseases dampens pathological inflammatory responses and can restore tissue homeostasis. Current therapies are not effective in altering the outcome of T. cruzi infection, and as RvD1 has been evaluated as a therapeutic agent in various inflammatory diseases, we examined if exogenous RvD1 could modulate the pathogenesis of Chagas disease in a murine model. CD-1 mice infected with the T. cruzi Brazil strain were treated with RvD1. Mice were administered 3 μg/kg of body weight RvD1 intraperitoneally on days 5, 10, and 15 to examine the effect of RvD1 on acute disease or administered the same dose on days 60, 65, and 70 to examine its effects on chronic infection. RvD1 therapy increased the survival rate and controlled parasite replication in mice with acute infection and reduced the levels of interferon gamma and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) in mice with chronic infection. In addition, there was an increase in interleukin-10 levels with RvD1 therapy in both mice with acute infection and mice with chronic infection and a decrease in TGF-β levels and collagen content in cardiac tissue. Together, these data indicate that RvD1 therapy can dampen the inflammatory response, promote the resolution of T. cruzi infection, and prevent cardiac fibrosis.

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BACKGROUND The infection led by Trypanosoma cruzi persists in mammalian tissues causing an inflammatory imbalance. Carvedilol (Cv), a non-selective beta blocker drug indicated to treat heart failure and antihypertensive has shown to promote antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties which might improve the inflammation induced by T. cruzi. OBJECTIVES Evaluate the role of Cv on the inflammatory response of C57BL/6 mice acutely infected with the Colombian strain of T. cruzi. METHODS Animals were infected with the Colombian strain of T. cruzi and treated with Cv (25 mg/kg/day), benznidazole (Bz) (100 mg/kg/day) or their combination. On the 28th day of infection and 23 days of treatment, the euthanasia occurred, and the heart preserved for histopathological, oxidative stress (SOD, catalase, TBARs, carbonylated proteins) and plasma (CCL2, CCL5, TNF, IL-10) analyses. Parasitaemia and survival were assessed along the infection. FINDINGS Cv decreased TBARs, but increased the mortality rate, the parasitaemia and the levels of CCL2, CCL5, catalase and the inflammatory infiltrate in the cardiac tissue. Bz led the reduction of the inflammatory infiltrate and circulating levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory mediators in the infected mice. MAIN CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that Cv, in this experimental model using the Colombian strain of T. cruzi, caused damage to the host.

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The protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi is responsible for triggering a damage immune response in the host cardiovascular system. This parasite has a high affinity for host lipoproteins and uses the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor for its invasion. Assuming that the presence of LDL cholesterol in tissues could facilitate T. cruzi proliferation, dietary composition may affect the parasite-host relationship. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate myocarditis in T. cruzi-infected C57BL/6 mice—acute phase—fed a high-fat diet and treated with simvastatin, a lipid-lowering medication. Animals (n=10) were infected with 5×103 cells of the VL-10 strain of T. cruzi and treated or untreated daily with 20 mg/kg simvastatin, starting 24 h after infection and fed with a normolipidic or high-fat diet. Also, uninfected mice, treated or not with simvastatin and fed with normolipidic or high-fat diet, were evaluated as control groups. Analyses to measure the production of chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2), interferon- (IFN-) γ, interleukin- (IL-) 10, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF); total hepatic lipid dosage; cholesterol; and fractions, as well as histopathological analysis, were performed on day 30 using cardiac and fat tissues. Our results showed that the high-fat diet increased (i) parasite replication, (ii) fat accumulation in the liver, (iii) total cholesterol and LDL levels, and (iv) the host inflammatory state through the production of the cytokine TNF. However, simvastatin only reduced the production of CCL2 but not that of other inflammatory mediators or biochemical parameters. Together, our data suggest that the high-fat diet may have worsened the biochemical parameters of the uninfected and T. cruzi-infected animals, as well as favored the survival of circulating parasites.