O tratamento com óleorresina e extrato hidroalcoólico das folhas de copaifera multijuga reduz o parasitismo em células trofoblásticas humanas (linhagem BeWo) infectadas por Trypanosoma cruzi

Abstract

Trypanosoma cruzi is an obligate intracellular protozoan that causes Chagas disease. The congenital form of the disease is represented by the passage of the parasite through the placental barrier, characterizing congenital Chagas disease (CCD), which can lead to fetal abnormalities and miscarriage. The current treatment is carried out with nifurtimox or benznidazole, but they are not fully effective and cause side effects, being necessary to find out new therapeutic strategies. In this sense, many studies have shown the potential of Copaifera spp. in the treatment of parasitic diseases, however, there are no studies that demonstrate their antiparasitic activity against T. cruzi at the human maternal-fetal interface. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the effect of oleoresin (OR) and leaf hydroalcoholic extract (EH) from Copaifera multijuga on Trypanosoma cruzi infection in human villous trophoblast cells (BeWo lineage). We observed that the OR and the EH reduced BeWo cells and T. cruzi trypomastigotes viability only at the highest concentrations. In addition, treatment with both compounds at non-cytotoxic concentrations reduced the T. cruzi proliferation and trypomastigotes release in the supernatant. Furthermore, we observed that the pre-treatment of T. cruzi trypomastigotes was able to cause changes in the parasite's morphology, compromising its ability to invade and proliferate in BeWo cells. We also observed that treatment with OR downmodulated ROS production in infected BeWo cells, while EH upregulated ROS production. Thus, we conclude that the OR and the EH from C. multijuga were effective in controlling the invasion, proliferation and dissemination of T. cruzi in BeWo cells, highlighting the therapeutic potential of these compounds for the treatment of CCD.