Impaired frequencies and function of platelets and tissue remodeling in chronic Chagas disease

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 14; no. 6; p. e0218260
• Main Authors: Pengue, Claudia, Cesar, Gonzalo, Alvarez, María Gabriela, Bertocchi, Graciela, Lococo, Bruno, Viotti, Rodolfo, Natale, María Ailén, Castro Eiro, Melisa D., Cambiazzo, Silvia S., Perroni, Nancy, Nuñez, Myriam, Albareda, María Cecilia, Laucella, Susana A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 14.06.2019; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Activation; Adenosine; Adenosine diphosphate; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; ATPases; Bioindicators; Biological markers; Biology and Life Sciences; Biomarkers; Blood platelets; Blood Platelets - metabolism; Blood Platelets - parasitology; Blood Platelets - pathology; Cardiac patients; Cardiomyopathy; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular diseases; Chagas Cardiomyopathy - metabolism; Chagas Cardiomyopathy - parasitology; Chagas Cardiomyopathy - pathology; Chagas disease; Chagas Disease - metabolism; Chagas Disease - parasitology; Chagas Disease - pathology; Chronic Disease; Chronic infection; Coagulation; Collagen (type I); Coronary artery disease; Development and progression; Endothelin; Endothelin 1; Endothelin-1 - metabolism; Endothelins; Endothelium; Extracellular matrix; Female; Fibrin; Fibrinogen; Fibrinogen - metabolism; Health aspects; Heart diseases; Heart failure; HIV; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Hypertension; Immune system; Infection; Infections; Inflammation; Inflammation - metabolism; Inflammation - pathology; Male; Medical research; Medicine and Health Sciences; Middle Aged; Monoclonal antibodies; Myocardial diseases; P-selectin; P-Selectin - metabolism; Patients; Physiological aspects; Platelets; Procollagen; Procollagen - metabolism; Regeneration (Biology); Serum levels; Signs and symptoms; Trypanosoma cruzi - pathogenicity; Vector-borne diseases; Young Adult; Argentina
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218260

Chronic inflammation, as a consequence of the persistent infection with Trypanosoma cruzi, leads to continuous activation of the immune system in patients with chronic Chagas disease. We have previously shown that increased sera levels of soluble P-selectin are associated with the severity of the cardiomyopathy distinctive of chronic Chagas disease. In this study, we explored the expression of biomarkers of platelet and endothelial activation, tissue remodeling, and mediators of the coagulation cascade in patients at different clinical stages of chronic Chagas heart disease. The frequencies of activated platelets, measured by the expression of CD41a and CD62P were decreased in patients with chronic Chagas disease compared with those in uninfected subjects, with an inverse association with disease severity. Platelet activation in response to adenosine diphosphate was also decreased in T. cruzi-infected subjects. A major proportion of T. cruzi infected subjects showed increased serum levels of fibrinogen. Patients with severe cardiac dysfunction showed increased levels of endothelin-1 and normal values of procollagen I. In conclusion, chronic infection with T. cruzi induced hemostatic alterations, even in those patients who do not yet present cardiac symptoms.