Trypanosoma cruzi infection is a potent risk factor for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis enhancing local and systemic inflammation associated with strong oxidative stress and metabolic disorders.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The immune mechanisms underlying experimental non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and more interestingly, the effect of T. cruzi chronic infection on the pathogenesis of this metabolic disorder are not completely understood.

Methodology/principal findings

We evaluated immunological parameters in male C57BL/6 wild type and TLR4 deficient mice fed with a standard, low fat diet, LFD (3% fat) as control group, or a medium fat diet, MFD (14% fat) in order to induce NASH, or mice infected intraperitoneally with 100 blood-derived trypomastigotes of Tulahuen strain and also fed with LFD (I+LFD) or MFD (I+MFD) for 24 weeks. We demonstrated that MFD by itself was able to induce NASH in WT mice and that parasitic infection induced marked metabolic changes with reduction of

SUBMITTER: Onofrio LI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4323252 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature