Trypanosoma cruzi: Inhibition of infection of human monocytes by aspirin

•Cyclooxygenase pathway plays a fundamental role in the process of T. cruzi invasion.•Aspirin decreases T. cruzi human monocyte infection.•Adenylate-cyclase activity regulates the entry of T. cruzi into monocytes.

Cell invasion by Trypanosoma cruzi and its intracellular replication are essential for progression of the parasite life cycle and development of Chagas disease. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and other eicosanoids potently modulate host response and contribute to Chagas disease progression. In this study, we evaluated the effect of aspirin (ASA), a non-selective cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor on the T. cruzi invasion and its influence on nitric oxide and cytokine production in human monocytes. The pretreatment of monocytes with ASA or SQ 22536 (adenylate-cyclase inhibitor) induced a marked inhibition of T. cruzi infection. On the other hand, the treatment of monocytes with SQ 22536 after ASA restored the invasiveness of T. cruzi. This reestablishment was associated with a decrease in nitric oxide and PGE2 production, and also an increase of interleukin-10 and interleukin-12 by cells pre-treated with ASA. Altogether, these results reinforce the idea that the cyclooxygenase pathway plays a fundamental role in the process of parasite invasion in an in vitro model of T. cruzi infection.

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