RESUMO
Trichoderma spp. are usually considered safe and normally used as biocontrol and biofertilization. Safety for human health is evaluated by several tests that detect various effects such as allergenicity, toxicity, infectivity, and pathogenicity. However, they do not evaluate the effects of the agent upon the immune system. The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction between T. stromaticum spores and mammalian cells to assess the immunomodulatory potential of the spores of this fungus. First, mouse macrophage cell line J774 and human macrophages were exposed to fungal spores and analyzed for structural features, through scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Then, various analysis were performed in human macrophages as to their effect in some functional and molecular aspects of the immune system through immunocytochemistry, flow cytometry and gene expression assays. We demonstrated that T. stromaticum spores induces autophagy and autophagy-related genes (ATGs) and downmodulate inflammatory mediators, including ROS, NLRP3, the cytokines IL-1ß, IL-18, IL-12 and IL-10, as well as TLR2, TLR4, miR-146b and miR-155, which may lead to an augmented susceptibility to pathogens. Our study shows the extension of damages the biofungicide Tricovab® can cause in the innate immune response. Further studies are necessary to elucidate other innate and adaptive immune responses and, consequently, the safety of this fungus when in contact with humans.
RESUMO
A tripanossomíase americana também conhecida como doença de Chagas é um importante problema de saúde pública, uma doença de origem parasitária que afeta 8 milhões de pessoas na América Latina (OMS, 2013). Atualmente existem apenas dois fármacos utilizados na prática clínica: o benzonidazol e o nifurtimox. Esse último não é usado no Brasil. Esses fármacos apresentam efeitos colaterais e são confrontados com cepas resistentes (FILARDI e BRENER, 1987; MEJIA et al., 2012). Desta forma, torna-se necessária a busca de compostos que apresentem maior eficácia e menor toxicidade. No presente trabalho foi avaliado o efeito do composto derivado de βlapachona, R72, em formas tripomastigotas de T. cruzi e em macrófagos infectados in vitro. Observamos que a R72 reduziu, significativamente (p<0,05)...
The American trypanosomiasis also known as Chagas disease is a major public health problem, a parasitic disease caused that affects 8 million people in Latin America (OMS, 2013). Currently there are only two drugs used in clinical practice: the benznidazole and the nifurtimox. The latter is not used in Brazil. These drugs are faced with considerable side effects and resistant strains (FILARDI e BRENER, 1987; MEJIA et al., 2012). Thus the search for drugs effective in the chronic phase of the disease and lower toxicity is required. In this study the effect of the β-lapachone derivative R72 in trypomastigote forms of T. cruzi and upon the infection of macrophage by T. cruzi in vitro. We observed that the R72 significantly inhibited (p<0,05)...