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Published on: June 23, 2022
Myocardiocyte ultrastructure and morphometrical analysis in hamsters experimentally infected with Trypanosoma cruzi
Francisco Humberto Colmanetti1, Vicente de Paula Antunes Teixeira, Maria Laura Pinto Rodrigues
1Department of Biological Sciences, Histology, Embryology and General Pathology Devesions, Pathology Graduation Course, Triangulo Mineiro Medical School (FMTM), Uberaba-MG, Brazil.
Insights
Ultrastructural analysis of hamster hearts revealed significant changes in myocardiocytes, including mitochondrial damage and altered sarcomeres, offering insights into Chagas disease pathology.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Pathology
- Parasitology
- Ultrastructural Biology
Background:
- Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, leads to chronic cardiomyopathy.
- Understanding the ultrastructural cardiac changes is crucial for disease modeling and treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate ultrastructural morphologic and morphometric changes in myocardiocytes of chronic chagasic hamsters.
- To compare these changes with those in other animal models and human Chagas disease.
Main Methods:
- Electron microscopy was used to examine myocardiocytes from four chronic chagasic hamsters and three nonchagasic controls.
- Morphometric analysis was performed to quantify mitochondrial and sarcomere characteristics.
Main Results:
- Mitochondria exhibited swelling and destruction. T-tubules were tortuous, and intercalated disks showed dehiscence.
- Intracellular edema separated myofibrils, with focal lysis observed. Sarcomeres were enlarged, and myofibril thickness reduced in infected hamsters.
- Mitochondrial numeric density and area were similar between groups, but sarcomere and myofibril dimensions differed significantly.
Conclusions:
- Electron microscopy reveals a substrate for light microscopy-observed cardiac changes in human Chagas disease.
- The hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) is a suitable animal model for ultrastructural pathology studies of Chagas disease.
Abstract:
The aim of this work was the study of ultrastructural morphologic and morphometric changes in myocardiocytes from chronic chagasic hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus), comparatively with changes described in other animal models and in human Chagas disease. Four chagasic animals and three nonchagasic controls were studied. Mitochondria changes were the most conspicuous findings, varying from swelling to complete organelle destruction. Noteworthy, T-tubules appeared tortuous and interrupted at the Z-line level and there was dehiscence in intercalated disks, especially in adherens junctions;in addition, the myofibrils were separated from each other by intracellular edema, with mild to accentuated focal lyses. In morphometric analysis, both the numeric density and the area of mitochondria from chagasic and normal control animals were statistically similar; however, the infected hamsters showed statistically significant enlarged sarcomeres and reduced myofibril thickness. Based on the morphologic and morphometric characteristics observed in these experimental animals, one may conclude that heart changes described at light microscopy in human Chagas disease can have a substrate on electron microscopy. Moreover, the hamster also constitutes a useful animal model to pathology studies in Chagas disease on electron microscopy.
