Association of Cardiac Galectin-3 Expression, Myocarditis, and Fibrosis in Chronic Chagas Disease Cardiomyopathy.

Association of Cardiac Galectin-3 Expression, Myocarditis, and Fibrosis in Chronic Chagas Disease Cardiomyopathy. Am J Pathol. 2017 Mar 16;: Authors: de Freitas Souza BS, Silva DN, Carvalho RH, de Almeida Sampaio GL, Paredes BD, Aragão França L, Azevedo CM, Vasconcelos JF, Meira CS, Neto PC, Macambira SG, da Silva KN, Allahdadi KJ, Tavora F, de Souza Neto JD, Dos Santos RR, Soares MB Abstract Chronic Chagas disease cardiomyopathy, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi infection, is a major cause of heart failure in Latin America. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) has been linked to cardiac remodeling and poor prognosis in heart failure of different etiologies. Herein, we investigated the involvement of Gal-3 in the disease pathogenesis and its role as a target for disease intervention. Gal-3 expression in mouse hearts was evaluated during T. cruzi infection by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry analysis, showing a high expression in macrophages, T cells, and fibroblasts. In vitro studies using Gal-3 knockdown in cardiac fibroblasts demonstrated that Gal-3 regulates cell survival, proliferation, and type I collagen synthesis. In vivo blockade of Gal-3 with N-acetyl-d-lactosamine in T. cruzi-infected mice led to a significant reduction of cardiac fibrosis and inflammation in the heart. Moreover, a modulation in the expression of proinflammatory genes in the heart was observed. Finally, histological analysis in human heart samples obtained from subjects...
Source: The American Journal of Pathology - Category: Pathology Authors: Tags: Am J Pathol Source Type: research