Fenofibrate modulates cardiac macrophage activation profile and heart inflammatory response and improves ventricular function in T. cruzi-infected mice

PONCINI, CAROLINA; DONATO, MARTÍN; PENAS, FEDERICO NICOLÁS; SEQUEYRA, ALDANA; MIRKIN, GERARDO ARIEL; PIERALISI, AZUL VICTORIA; CEVEY, AGATA CAROLINA; GOREN, NORA BEATRIZ

Mar del Plata

Congreso; Reunión Conjunta SAIC, SAI & FAIC, SAFIS 2022; 2022

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica (SAIC)

Monocyte-derived macrophages (Mφ) are one of the main infiltrating leukocytes in response to heart infection in Chagas disease. Due to their functional and phenotypic plasticity, manipulating Mφ subsets can be crucial in collaborating with vital cardiovascular functions, such as tissue repair and defense against the infection. Previous works of our group showed that Fenofibrate (Fen) improves cardiac function and inflammatory parameters in a chronic Chagas model. Here, to deepen into the study of Fen, C57BL/6 mice were infected with Trypanosoma cruzi (Tc) and treated with 100 mg/kg/day of Fen for 14 days. Fen treatment neither changes parasitemia nor body weight or survival of Tc-infected mice. Next, we found that Fen decreases iNOS, IL-6, TNF-α and CCR2 mRNA expression and increases mRNA expression of M2 markers (MR, YM1, PPARα, FIZZ, and IL-10) in heart (RT-qPCR, p