Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 21, 2026
14:26
Purification of Extracellular Trypanosomes, Including African, from Blood by Anion-Exchangers Diethylaminoethyl-cellulose Columns
Published on: April 6, 2019
10.3K
3-Bromopyruvate Impairs Mitochondrial Function in Trypanosoma cruzi
Rafaella Oliveira da Costa1, Davi Barreto-Campos1, Juliana Barbosa-de-Barros1
1Institute of Medical Biochemistry Leopoldo de Meis, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21590-902, RJ, Brazil.
Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 30, 2025
Summary
3-Bromopyruvate (3-BrPA) impairs energy metabolism and ATP production in Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite causing Chagas disease. This suggests 3-BrPA
Area of Science:
- Parasitology
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Chagas disease, caused by *Trypanosoma cruzi*, presents significant health challenges.
- There is a critical need for novel therapeutic strategies against this parasitic infection.
- 3-Bromopyruvate (3-BrPA), a pyruvate analog, has shown effects on microbial proliferation and motility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of 3-Bromopyruvate (3-BrPA) on the energy metabolism, proliferation, and infectivity of *Trypanosoma cruzi*.
- To analyze the effects of 3-BrPA on mitochondrial function, ATP production, and key glycolytic enzymes in *T. cruzi*.
Main Methods:
- Assessment of mitochondrial function and intracellular ATP content in *T. cruzi* treated with 3-BrPA.
- Enzyme activity assays for ecto-phosphatase and ecto-nuclease.
- Evaluation of glucose kinase (GK) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) activities.
Main Results:
- 3-BrPA treatment led to impaired mitochondrial function and reduced intracellular ATP levels in *T. cruzi*.
- 3-BrPA altered ecto-enzyme activities, decreasing ecto-nuclease activity while hydrolyzing AMP, ADP, and ATP.
- While glucose kinase activity remained unchanged, 3-BrPA increased glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity.
Conclusions:
- 3-Bromopyruvate affects critical energy metabolism pathways in *Trypanosoma cruzi*.
- The observed metabolic alterations suggest potential therapeutic applications for 3-BrPA in Chagas disease treatment.
- Compensatory mechanisms in *T. cruzi* energy metabolism may influence its infectivity, warranting further investigation.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis, a zoonotic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, poses significant public health challenges globally due to its high seroprevalence and varied clinical manifestations. As an obligate intracellular parasite, T. gondii can infect all warm-blooded vertebrates, but felids are its only definitive hosts, shedding unsporulated oocysts into the environment. Humans typically acquire the infection through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked meat or oocysts from...
01:22American Trypanosomiasis
Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is a vector-borne parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a flagellated protozoan (kinetoplastid) of the family Trypanosomatidae. The disease is endemic in Latin America, although cases are increasingly reported worldwide due to human migration. Transmission most commonly occurs when feces of infected triatomine bugs contaminate bite wounds or mucosal surfaces; additional routes include congenital, transfusional, transplant-related, and oral...
01:28Amebiasis
Entamoeba histolytica, a protozoan parasite, is responsible for intestinal and extraintestinal amebiasis. Though a significant proportion of infections remain asymptomatic, approximately 50 million individuals annually are estimated to present with clinical disease, resulting in up to 100,000 deaths globally. The disease burden is disproportionately high in regions with lower socioeconomic status, such as parts of India, Africa, Mexico, and Latin America.Etiology and TransmissionThe infective...
01:18Trichomoniasis
Trichomonas vaginalis is a flagellated protozoan parasite and the causative agent of trichomoniasis, one of the most prevalent non-viral sexually transmitted infections in the United States. This extracellular parasite primarily colonizes the lower genitourinary tract in women—particularly the vagina—and in men, the urethra and prostate. Its structural and functional adaptations enable its survival, motility, and pathogenicity within the host environment.Structural Features and Host EntryT.
01:15Anthelminthic Agents
Anthelmintic drugs differ significantly from antiparasitic therapies targeting protozoa, primarily due to differences in parasite biology. Whereas most protozoal treatments act on proliferating cells, anthelmintics are typically directed against mature, nonproliferative helminths. The therapeutic approach considers the helminth's reliance on neuromuscular coordination, glucose metabolism, and microtubular integrity for survival, reproduction, and localization within the host. Most anthelmintics...
01:21Antiprotozoal Agents
Leishmaniasis is a widespread parasitic disease caused by several Leishmania species. It affects millions of people each year and remains a major public health problem in endemic regions. First-line treatment relies on pentavalent antimonials, including meglumine antimoniate and sodium stibogluconate. Even so, how these drugs work has not been fully clear, especially their interaction with parasite-specific biochemical pathways. One key target is trypanothione reductase (TR), an enzyme that...