O8 - Enfermedades humanas

Extracellular vesicles in patients infected with T. cruzi: analysis based on epidemiological profile

Buonincontro, Brenda ¹ - Alvarado, Andrés ¹ - Principato, Mario ² - Carvelli, María Victoria ² - Ramirez, Marcel ³ - Carbajales, Justo ² - Poncini, Carolina ¹

1) Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica (IMPaM), UBA-CONICET, CABA, Argentina
2) División de Cardiología, Hospital General de Agudos J. M. Ramos Mejía, CABA, Argentina
3) Fundación Carlos Chagas, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz PR, Curitiba, Brasil
Contacto: brendabuonincontro@gmail.com

Chagas disease (CD) is a global public health problem due to its high morbidity and mortality. According to their clinical status, patients can be classified into categories: asymptomatic (A), with alterations in cardiac electrical conduction (B), or with dilated cardiomyopathy (C). In this study, peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples from individuals not infected with T. cruzi (N) and from patients A, B, and C were analyzed. The aim was to characterize extracellular vesicle (EV) release in cell samples for the identification of prognostic biomarkers of CD. Initially, PBMCs were characterized and analyzed by flow cytometry. Previous studies from our group demonstrated that cells from patients with or without symptoms increase EV release in response to parasite stimulation in culture, quantified by NTA. Moreover, asymptomatic patients showed a differential EV release pattern, allowing their division into two subcategories of higher and lower release (A2 and A3; Alvarado, 2024). We then analyzed the relationship between differential parasite-induced EV release and the epidemiological profile of a cohort of Argentine patients infected with T. cruzi. The database included 48 records from patients over 35 years old, with age, gender, clinical status, and EV release quantification with or without stimulation. Parasite stimulation significantly increased EV release in patients A (p=0.0466) and B (p=0.0312). Within group A, we detected two subcategories regarding EV release, with a significant difference (A2 vs A3, p=0.0025), as previously reported. The mean age is similar in both subcategories (53.8 and 57.7 years). Although 80% of A2 corresponds to women, there is insufficient evidence to state that the subcategories do not differ overall by age and gender (p=0.6891). Proteomic analysis of these EVs revealed potential candidates for the ongoing search for prognostic biomarkers of the disease, supporting future studies aimed at improving the comprehensive clinical management of CD.

Palabras clave: EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES - CHAGAS DISEASE - MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS