Macrophages are among the first cellular actors facing the invasion of microorganisms. These cells are able to internalize pathogens and destroy them by means of toxic mediators, many of which are produced enzymatically and have strong oxidizing capacity. Indeed, macrophages count on the NADPH oxidase complex activity, which is triggered during pathogen invasion and leads to the production of superoxide radical inside the phagosome. At the same time, the induction of nitric oxide synthase results in the production of nitric oxide in the cytosol which is able to readily diffuse to the phagocytic vacuole. Superoxide radical and nitric oxide react at diffusion controlled rates with each other inside the phagosome to yield peroxynitrite, a powerful oxidant capable to kill microorganisms. Peroxynitrite toxicity resides on oxidations and nitrations of biomolecules in the target cell. The central role of peroxynitrite as a key effector molecule in the control of infections has been proven in a wide number of models. However, some microorganisms and virulent strains adapt to survive inside the potentially hostile oxidizing microenvironment of the phagosome by either impeding peroxynitrite formation or rapidly detoxifying it once formed. In this context, the outcome of the infection process is a result of the interplay between the macrophage-derived oxidizing cytotoxins such as peroxynitrite and the antioxidant defense machinery of the invading pathogens.

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Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease (CD), contains exclusively Fe-dependent superoxide dismutases (Fe-SODs). During T. cruzi invasion to macrophages, superoxide radical (O2•−) is produced at the phagosomal compartment toward the internalized parasite via NOX-2 (gp91-phox) activation. In this work, T. cruzi cytosolic Fe-SODB overexpressers (pRIBOTEX–Fe-SODB) exhibited higher resistance to macrophage-dependent killing and enhanced intracellular proliferation compared with wild-type (WT) parasites. The higher infectivity of Fe-SODB overexpressers compared with WT parasites was lost in gp91-phox−/− macrophages, underscoring the role of O2•− in parasite killing. Herein, we studied the entrance of O2•− and its protonated form, perhydroxyl radical [(HO2•); pKa = 4.8], to T. cruzi at the phagosome compartment. At the acidic pH values of the phagosome lumen (pH 5.3 ± 0.1), high steady-state concentrations of O2•− and HO2• were estimated (∼28 and 8 µM, respectively). Phagosomal acidification was crucial for O2•− permeation, because inhibition of the macrophage H+-ATPase proton pump significantly decreased O2•− detection in the internalized parasite. Importantly, O2•− detection, aconitase inactivation, and peroxynitrite generation were lower in Fe-SODB than in WT parasites exposed to external fluxes of O2•− or during macrophage infections. Other mechanisms of O2•− entrance participate at neutral pH values, because the anion channel inhibitor 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino) benzoic acid decreased O2•− detection. Finally, parasitemia and tissue parasite burden in mice were higher in Fe-SODB–overexpressing parasites, supporting the role of the cytosolic O2•−-catabolizing enzyme as a virulence factor for CD.

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