Role of cyclooxygenase-2 in Trypanosoma cruzi survival in the early stages of parasite host-cell interaction

Chagas disease, caused by the intracellular protozoan Trypanosomacruzi, is a serious health problem in Latin America. During thisparasitic infection, the heart is one of the major organs affected. The pathogenesisof tissue remodelling, particularly regarding cardiomyocyte behaviour after parasiteinfection and the molecular mechanisms that occur immediately following parasiteentry into host cells are not yet completely understood. When cells are infected withT. cruzi, they develop an inflammatory response, in whichcyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) catalyses rate-limiting steps in the arachidonic acidpathway. However, how the parasite interaction modulates COX-2 activity is poorlyunderstood. In this study, the H9c2 cell line was used as our model and weinvestigated cellular and biochemical aspects during the initial 48 h of parasiticinfection. Oscillatory activity of COX-2 was observed, which correlated with thecontrol of the pro-inflammatory environment in infected cells. Interestingly,subcellular trafficking was also verified, correlated with the control of Cox-2 mRNAor the activated COX-2 protein in cells, which is directly connected with theassemble of stress granules structures. Our collective findings suggest that in thevery early stage of the T. cruzi-host cell interaction, the parasiteis able to modulate the cellular metabolism in order to survives.