Caracterização dos canais de k+ voltagem dependentes (kv) no cólon de pacientes chagásicos portadores e não portadores de megacólon

Abstract

Chagas disease remains a serious health problem, especially in the Americas. It is present in 21 countries in the Americas, with about 30,000 new cases per year. The digestive form resulting from Chagas disease is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in the chronic phase of the disease. Patients with the digestive form have a series of symptoms related to organ obstruction. In the megacolon, the organs exhibit a large increase in the lumen and hypertrophy of the muscle layer. Histological analyzes of Organs affected organs have shown inflammatory lesions of the enteric nervous system (SNE), associated with a large reduction in the number of neurons. Although the mechanism of neuronal injury remains unclear, the frequent observation of ganglionitis and periganglionitis in patients with mega points to the participation of immune cells in this process. Individuals without dilation also presented denervation and inflammation processes, however less intense in relation to megacolon carriers. These data open a new line of investigation on the study of the chagasic megacolon pathology. The voltage-dependent potassium channels (Kv) participate in electrical rhythmicity and smooth muscle responses in virtually all body systems, regulating the resting membrane potential in various types of cells throughout the body. As they are regulated by excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters, Kv channels also participate in the responses of Cajal's interstitial cells and smooth muscle in neural stimuli. Thus, this study aimed to characterize the expression of voltage-dependent K + channels (Kv channels) in chagasic patients with and without megacolon. The results of this study suggest that the expression of ion channels, in this case, the Kv7 channels are abnormally expressed in the dilated portion of chagasic patients with megacolon. Likewise, its expression in the samples of chagasic patients without megacolon could mean a protective factor against the development of megacolon, being responsible for preventing it or at least delaying it. We believe that the decrease in Kv7 expression may play a role in the pathophysiology of this complex condition and consequently in the development of the megacolon. Likewise, we believe that maintaining the expression of these channels could prevent the organ from expanding.