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Myocardiocyte apoptosis in heart failure in chronic Chagas' disease

Sebastião Tostes1, Denise Bertulucci Rocha-Rodrigues, Gilberto de Araujo Pereira

  • 1Laboratory of Immunology, Faculdade de Medicina do Triângulo Mineiro, Rua Frei Paulino, 30 Uberaba MG 38025-180, Brazil.

International Journal of Cardiology
|March 8, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Chagas

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pathology

Background:

  • Chagas' disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, affects millions in South America.
  • Cardiac involvement is a primary cause of death in Chagas' disease patients.
  • Myocarditis and fibrosis are prominent in chronic Chagas' disease, especially with heart failure.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of apoptosis in myocardial cell loss in chronic Chagas' disease.
  • To determine if apoptosis contributes to heart failure pathogenesis in Chagas' disease.
  • To evaluate apoptosis in both myocardial and inflammatory cells.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 22 left ventricle autopsy specimens (11 with heart failure, 11 without).
  • TUNEL assay to detect early apoptotic events.
  • Histopathological evaluation of fibrosis on HE-stained slides.

Main Results:

  • Significantly higher levels of fibrosis in patients with heart failure.
  • Increased numbers of apoptotic myocardial cells in heart failure patients.
  • Elevated apoptotic inflammatory cells observed in heart failure cases.

Conclusions:

  • Myocardial cell loss through apoptosis contributes to heart failure in chronic Chagas' disease.
  • Fibrosis and apoptosis of myocardial and inflammatory cells are key factors in Chagas' disease heart failure.
  • Understanding these mechanisms can inform future therapeutic strategies.

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