T. cruzi infection among aged rats: Melatonin as a promising therapeutic molecule

Although T. cruzi was identified as the cause of Chagas disease more than 100 years ago, satisfactory treatments still do not exist, especially for chronic disease. Here we review work suggesting that melatonin could have promise as a Chagas therapeutic. Melatonin has remarkably diverse actions. It...

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Published in:Experimental gerontology 2020-07, Vol.135, p.110922-110922, Article 110922
Main Authors: Brazão, Vânia, Santello, Fabricia Helena, Colato, Rafaela Pravato, do Prado, José Clóvis
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging
Animals
Antioxidants - pharmacology
Chagas Disease - drug therapy
Immune response
Melatonin
Melatonin - pharmacology
Oxidative stress
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Trypanosoma cruzi
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Summary:Although T. cruzi was identified as the cause of Chagas disease more than 100 years ago, satisfactory treatments still do not exist, especially for chronic disease. Here we review work suggesting that melatonin could have promise as a Chagas therapeutic. Melatonin has remarkably diverse actions. It is an immunomodulator, an anti-inflammatory, an antioxidant, a free radical scavenger, and has antiapoptotic and anti-aging effects. The elderly (aged 60 years or more) as a group are growing faster than any other age group. Here we discuss the major effects and the mechanisms of action of melatonin on aged T. cruzi-infected rats. Melatonin's protective effects may be consequences of its cooperative antioxidant and immunomodulatory actions. Melatonin modulates oxidative damage, inducing an antioxidant response and reversing age-related thymus regression. Its protective actions could be the result of its anti-apoptotic activity, and by its counteracting the excessive production of corticosterone. This review describes our work showing that host age plays an important and variable influence on the progression of systemic T. cruzi infection and supporting the hypothesis that melatonin should be considered as a powerful therapeutic compound with multiple activities that can improve host homeostasis during experimental T. cruzi infection. •Melatonin’s protective effects may be consequences of its cooperative antioxidant and immunomodulatory actions;•Melatonin modulates oxidative damage, inducing an antioxidant response and reversing age-related thymus regression;•Melatonin as a promising therapeutic molecule during T. cruzi infection in middle- aged Wistar rats.
ISSN:0531-5565
1873-6815
DOI:10.1016/j.exger.2020.110922