Evaluation of Cardiac IL-11 and IL-11Rα Expression During T. cruzi Infection.

ABSTRACT: Chagas disease (CD), caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, leads to cardiomyopathy in approximately 20-30% of infected individuals. Interleukin-11 (IL-11) has been implicated in cardiac fibrosis, although its immunological role in this context remains unclear. This study investigated the temporal dynamics of IL-11 and its receptor, IL-11Rα, expression in the hearts of C57BL/6 mice infected with 1,000 trypomastigote forms of the Y or Colombian strains of T. cruzi. Mice were euthanized at 5, 15, 30, 60, and 120 days post-infection (dpi). Survival, parasitemia, and body and heart weights were monitored. Cardiac tissue was analyzed for parasite nests, myocarditis, collagen deposition, and expression of the IL-11 receptor alpha (IL-11Rα). Cytokine profiles were evaluated by ELISA and Cytometric Bead Arr

SUBMITTER: Braga YLL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12722386 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature