Ganglioside treatment of acute Trypanosoma cruzi infection in mice promotes long-term survival and parasitological cure

Abstract

Ganglioside treatment of mice during their acute infection with Trypanosoma cruzi promoted long-term survival and clearance of parasites from the bloodstream and organs. Additionally, such treatment completely prevented the clinical manifestations of the infection, and progression into the chronic stages of the disease, for at least 18 months post-infection. Trypanosoma cruzi must invade nucleated cells to survive and reproduce within the mammalian host, and it has been suggested that ganglioside treatment inhibits the parasite's phospholipase A2 enzymes (PLA2), which are involved in membrane destabilization. However, since total brain gangliosides were not toxic to the parasite, either in xenic or axenic cultures, it seems unlikely that their action in vivo relates to their inhibition of PLA2. Other possible mechanisms of action are discussed.