Plasma Lysophosphatidylcholine and Phospholipase A 2 Activity in Chagas Disease Patients: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Chagas disease (CD) affects 21 countries in the Americas and is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi . A key molecule involved in CD is lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), which has been studied in various contexts: in the saliva of insect vectors, during the establishment of infection in the vertebrate host, and for the parasite itself. This lipid can be produced by the action of phospholipases A 2 (PLA 2 ), enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of phospholipids releasing fatty acids and lysophospholipids, such as LPC. This study investigates LPC levels and PLA 2 activities in the plasma of CD patients and compares these levels with those in healthy individuals and patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM). Plasma from 64 CD patients, 54 healthy individuals, and 16 IDCM patients were analyzed. LPC levels and the activity of two types of phospholipase A 2 : secreted (sPLA 2 ) and lipoprotein-associated (Lp-PLA 2 ) were measured. LPC levels and sPLA 2 activity were similar between CD patients and the control groups. However, there were notable differences in LPC levels and sPLA 2 activity between subgroups of CD patients and IDCM patients. This study is the first to identify LPC in patients with CD across various stages of the disease. It also offers new insights into the biochemical changes observed in the plasma of patients with IDCM.