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Transforming growth factor-ß as a therapeutic target for the cardiac damage of Chagas disease.

ABSTRACT: Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) is deeply involved on the pathogenesis of Chagas disease. Our group has been investigating the participation of this pleiotropic cytokine in different aspects of Chagas disease over the last 20 years. Important observations have been made, such as: (i) the ability of Trypanosoma cruzi in activating latent TGF-β; (ii) the potential involvement of TGF-β pathway on T. cruzi invasion of host cells; (iii) association of TGF-β with parasite intracellular replication; (iv) cardiac fibrosis development and maintenance; (v) disruption of Connexin-43 plaque structures and (vi) inflammation and immune response. In this perspective article we intend to discuss the advances of the potential use of new therapies targeting TGF-β to treat the cardiac alterations of Chagas disease-affected patients.

SUBMITTER: Waghabi MC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8896758 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Transforming growth factor-ß as a therapeutic target for the cardiac damage of Chagas disease.

Waghabi Mariana Caldas MC Ferreira Roberto Rodrigues RR Abreu Rayane da Silva RDS Degrave Wim W de Souza Elen Mello EM Bailly Sabine S Feige Jean-Jacques JJ de Araújo-Jorge Tania C TC

Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz 20220225

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) is deeply involved on the pathogenesis of Chagas disease. Our group has been investigating the participation of this pleiotropic cytokine in different aspects of Chagas disease over the last 20 years. Important observations have been made, such as: (i) the ability of Trypanosoma cruzi in activating latent TGF-β; (ii) the potential involvement of TGF-β pathway on T. cruzi invasion of host cells; (iii) association of TGF-β with parasite intracellular replica ...[more]

PMID: 35239842

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Project description:Chronic Chagasic cardiomyopathy (CCC), a progressive inflammatory and fibrosing disease, is the most prominent clinical form of Chagas disease, a neglected tropical disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi infection. During CCC, the parasite remains inside the cardiac cells, leading to tissue damage, involving extensive inflammatory response and irregular fibrosis. Among the fibrogenic factors is transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), a key cytokine controlling extracellular matrix synthesis and degradation. TGF-β is involved in CCC onset and progression, with increased serum levels and activation of its signaling pathways in the cardiac tissue, which crucially contributes to fibrosis. Inhibition of the TGF-β signaling pathway attenuates T. cruzi infection and prevents cardiac damage in an experimental model of acute Chagas disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of TGF-β neutralization on T. cruzi infection in both in vitro and in vivo pre-clinical models, using the 1D11 monoclonal antibody. To this end, primary cultures of cardiac cells were infected with T. cruzi trypomastigote forms and treated with 1D11. For in vivo studies, 1D11 was administered in different schemes for acute and chronic phase models (Swiss mice infected with 104 parasites from the Y strain and C57BL/6 mice infected with 102 parasites from the Colombian strain, respectively). Here we show that the addition of 1D11 to cardiac cells greatly reduces cardiomyocyte invasion by T. cruzi and the number of parasites per infected cell. In both acute and chronic experimental models, T. cruzi infection altered the electrical conduction, decreasing the heart rate, increasing the PR interval and the P wave duration. The treatment with 1D11 reduced cardiac fibrosis and reversed electrical abnormalities improving cardiac performance. Taken together, these data further support the major role of the TGF-β signaling pathways in T. cruzi-infection and their biological consequences on parasite/host interactions. The therapeutic effects of the 1D11 antibody are promising and suggest a new possibility to treat cardiac fibrosis in the chronic phase of Chagas' heart disease by TGF-β neutralization.

Project description:The present study aimed to reveal the metabolic alterations of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in uterosacral ligament (USL) with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and to explore the role of transforming growth factor‑β1 (TGF‑β1) in pathogenesis of POP. For this purpse, 60 participants who underwent hysterectomy for benign indications were enrolled, 30 of which had symptomatic POP (grade II, III or IV) and composed the POP group, and the other 30 had asymptomatic POP (grade I or less) and served as the controls. Collagen fibers, elastin,matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‑2/9, tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMP)‑2 and TGF‑β1 were examined by Masson's trichrome staining, immunohistochemistry and RT-qPCR using USL biopsies. In vitro, human USL fibroblasts (hUSLFs) were primary cultured, pre-treated with recombinant TGF‑β1 (0, 5, or 10 ng/ml) and then subjected to cyclic mechanical stretching (CMS; 0 or 5,333 µε strain). Changes in the expression levels of collagen type I/III, elastin, TIMP‑2, MMP‑2/9 and Smad were detected. Our results revealed that at the tissue level, the expression of collagen fibers, elastin, TIMP‑2 and TGF‑β1 was significantly reduced in the POP group, while the activities of MMP‑2/9 were significantly upregulated, compared with the control group. Statistical analysis indicated that the mRNA expression of TGF‑β1 inversely correlated with the severity of POP partially. Our in vitro experimental data demonstrated that a CMS of 5333 µε strain promoted the degradation of ECM proteins, inhibited the synthesis of TIMP‑2, and upregulated the proteolytic activities of MMP‑2/9. Pre-treatment with TGF‑β1 attenuated the loss of ECM by stimulating the synthesis of TIMP‑2 and inhibiting the activities of MMP‑2/9 through the TGF‑β1/Smad3 signaling pathway. On the whole, our data indicate that the reduced anabolism and increased catabolism of ECM proteins in USL are the pathological characteristics of POP. TGF‑β1 not only has a specific value in predicting the severity of POP, but should also be considered as a novel therapeutic target for POP.

Project description:The protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes human Chagas' disease, exerts a variety of effects on host extracellular matrix (ECM) including proteolytic degradation of collagens and dampening of ECM gene expression. Exposure of primary human dermal fibroblasts to live infective T. cruzi trypomastigotes or their shed/secreted products results in a rapid down-regulation of the fibrogenic genes collagenIα1, fibronectin and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2). Here we demonstrate the ability of a secreted/released T. cruzi factor to antagonize ctgf/ccn2 expression in dermal fibroblasts in response to TGF-ß, lysophosphatidic acid or serum, where agonist-induced phosphorylation of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases Erk1/2, p38 and JNK was also inhibited. Global analysis of gene expression in dermal fibroblasts identified a discrete subset of TGF-ß-inducible genes involved in cell proliferation, wound repair, and immune regulation that are inhibited by T. cruzi secreted/released factors, where the genes exhibiting the highest sensitivity to T. cruzi are known to be regulated by MAP kinase-activated transcription factors. Consistent with this observation, the Ets-family transcription factor binding site in the proximal promoter region of the ctgf/ccn2 gene (-91 bp to -84 bp) was shown to be required for T. cruzi-mediated down-regulation of ctgf/ccn2 reporter expression. The cumulative data suggest a model in which T. cruzi-derived molecules secreted/released early in the infective process dampen MAP kinase signaling and the activation of transcription factors that regulate expression of fibroblast genes involved in wound repair and tissue remodelling, including ctgf/ccn2. These findings have broader implications for local modulation of ECM synthesis/remodelling by T. cruzi during the early establishment of infection in the mammalian host and highlight the potential for pathogen-derived molecules to be exploited as tools to modulate the fibrogenic response.

Project description:Myocardial fibrosis is often associated with cardiac hypertrophy; indeed, fibrosis is one of the most critical factors affecting prognosis. We aimed to identify the molecules involved in promoting fibrosis under hypertrophic stimuli. We previously established a rat model of cardiac hypertrophy by pulmonary artery banding, in which approximately half of the animals developed fibrosis in the right ventricle. Here, we first comprehensively analyzed mRNA expression in the right ventricle with or without fibrosis in pulmonary artery banding model rats by DNA microarray analysis (GSE141650 at NCBI GEO). The expression levels of 19 genes were up-regulated more than 1.5-fold in fibrotic hearts compared with non-fibrotic hearts. Among them, fibrosis growth factor (FGF) 23 showed one of the biggest increases in expression. Real-time PCR analysis also revealed that, among the FGF receptor (FGFR) family, FGFR1 was highly expressed in fibrotic hearts. We then found that FGF23 was expressed predominantly in cardiomyocytes, while FGFR1 was predominantly expressed in fibroblasts in the rat ventricle. Next, we added FGF23 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 (10-50 ng/mL of each) to isolated fibroblasts from normal adult rat ventricles and cultured them for three days. While FGF23 itself did not directly affect the expression levels of any fibrosis-related mRNAs, FGF23 enhanced the effect of TGF-β1 on increasing the expression levels of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) mRNA. This increase in xx-SMA mRNA levels due to the combination of TGF-β1 and FGF23 was attenuated by the inhibition of FGFR1 or the knockdown of FGFR1 in fibroblasts. Thus, FGF23 synergistically promoted the activation of fibroblasts with TGF-β1, transforming fibroblasts into myofibroblasts via FGFR1. Thus, we identified FGF23 as a paracrine factor secreted from cardiomyocytes to promote cardiac fibrosis under conditions in which TGF-β1 is activated. FGF23 could be a possible target to prevent fibrosis following myocardial hypertrophy.

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Transforming growth factor-ß as a therapeutic target for the cardiac damage of Chagas disease.

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Transforming growth factor-ß as a therapeutic target for the cardiac damage of Chagas disease.

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