A drug that is commonly used to treat hypertension may have the ability to inhibit the parasite that causes Chagas disease, by affecting its replication and survival. according to a study carried out by scientists from the National University of Cuyo and Conicet, reported that house of higher studies.
The discovery of the inhibitory effect of the Trypanosoma cruzi parasite represents “an encouraging advance in terms of repositioning drugs and new therapies against the disease,” reported the UNCuyo
The drug Carvedilol is a drug widely used for the treatment of high blood pressure and other cardiac pathologies, and it was found to inhibit the autophagy of Trypanosoma cruzi – the Chagas parasite.
“In this work we present a repositioning drug with significant in vitro and in vivo activity against T. cruzi”, pointed out Patricia Romano, Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, responsible for the study.
The scientist explained that autophagy is a process that allows the degradation of intracellular components that have stopped working, proteins and damaged or aged organelles.
This pathway is activated in response to cellular stress, such as nutrient starvation, and allows the cell to obtain the energy it needs from simple compounds that are recycled by the action of autophagy.
“Carvedilol is being used in human medicine for other pathologies, which would greatly reduce the time of previous studies required for its use for Chagas. In addition, it has other pharmacological properties at the cardiac level that can also favor the treatment of the infection. , since when it becomes chronic, it produces heart disease in a high percentage of patients”, explained the scientist.
“These data make it an attractive candidate for the treatment of Chagas disease,” commented the specialist about the research.
Among other details, the researcher explained that treatment with Carvedilol produced an increase in the number of immature autophagosomes characterized by lower acidity and degradative properties. As a consequence, the different parasitic forms, the survival of trypomastigotes and the replication of epimastigotes and amastigotes were affected.
This results in a significant reduction in infection and parasite load. He also mentioned that there was a significant decrease in the peak of parasitosis in mice during the acute stage of the infection.
“These characteristics, plus the lack of effective treatment for the chronic stage of the disease, have contributed to the durability and spread of the infection throughout the world,” said Romano, who is also a professor at the School of Medical Sciences at the UNCuyo.
