Análisis de biomarcadores oxidativos inflamatorios y tratamiento con antioxidantes naturales durante la fase aguda de la enfermedad de Chagas experimental
Chagas disease, considered one of the main neglected tropical diseases, affects more than one billion people worldwide. Current treatment is limited to the use of benznidazole and nifurtimox, which are effective in the acute phase but show low efficacy in the chronic phase. Given this limitation, na...
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| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , |
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| Formato: | Artículo revista |
| Lenguaje: | Español |
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Universidad Nacional Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Secretaria de Ciencia y Tecnología
2025
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| Acceso en línea: | https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/med/article/view/50634 |
| Aporte de: |
| Sumario: | Chagas disease, considered one of the main neglected tropical diseases, affects more than one billion people worldwide. Current treatment is limited to the use of benznidazole and nifurtimox, which are effective in the acute phase but show low efficacy in the chronic phase. Given this limitation, natural compounds such as thymol and carvacrol, which have anti-inflammatory and antiparasitic properties, are proposed as potential therapeutic alternatives for advanced stages of the infection.
This study evaluated in vivo the effect of these antioxidant compounds on oxidative stress in a murine model of Chagas disease. Swiss albino mice infected with the Tulahuen strain of Trypanosoma cruzi were used, distributed into four groups (n=6): uninfected control, infected untreated, infected treated with thymol, and infected treated with carvacrol. Treatments were administered orally for 30 days, following a protocol approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Faculty of Medical Sciences and Faculty of Odontology. Oxidative stress markers were analyzed: myeloperoxidase (MPO) in plasma and superoxide anion in myocardial tissue, through ELISA and spectrophotometry, respectively. Data were processed using ANOVA and Fisher’s test, with a significance level of p<0.05.
Significant differences were observed in plasma MPO levels between the Chagas group (infected untreated) and the groups treated with thymol and carvacrol, as well as the uninfected control group (p=0.0027). Regarding myocardial superoxide anion, differences were found between the Chagas group and the carvacrol-treated group compared to the uninfected control and thymol-treated groups (p<0.0001), with the untreated Chagas group showing the highest levels.
These results indicate that T. cruzi infection induces marked production of superoxide anion and MPO, contributing to tissue damage, particularly in the heart. Although no previous studies have directly analyzed these markers in relation to thymol or carvacrol in this context, current scientific evidence suggests that these compounds may have antioxidant and antiparasitic effects that could influence tissue damage mechanisms, oxidative stress, and antiparasitic activity associated with Chagas disease. |
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