ABSTRACT
The influence of growth in the presence of nifurtimox on total lipids of Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes was determined. Nifurtimox-treated organisms showed greater amounts of unsaturated fatty acids as compared with control cells. 18:2 was the major component in the total esterified lipid fraction. Similar results were observed on the free fatty acid composition as detected by trimethylsilyl derivatization of the total lipids.
Subject(s)
Lipid Metabolism , Nifurtimox/pharmacology , Nitrofurans/pharmacology , Trypanosoma cruzi/drug effects , Animals , Fatty Acids, Nonesterified/metabolism , Fatty Acids, Unsaturated/metabolism , Trypanosoma cruzi/metabolismABSTRACT
Allopurinol (4-hydroxypyrazolo [3,4-d]pyrimidine) is an effective agent in vitro against Trypanosoma cruzi. The important forms of this parasite, with respect to the pathogenesis of Chagas' disease in man, are the bloodstream (trypomastigote) and the intracellular forms. Experiments with radiolabeled allopurinol and analysis of the metabolic products of this compound by high-performance liquid chromatography showed that both the bloodstream and the intracellular forms of T. cruzi metabolize allopurinol in the same manner as has been shown for the epimastigotes in vitro. The metabolic pathways for pyrazolopyrimidines in the pathogenic forms were demonstrated with organisms isolated from infected animals and a tissue culture system infected with T. cruzi. Treatment of infected tissue culture with allopurinol eradicated the infection. This investigation implies that allopurinol may be useful in chemotherapy of T. cruzi infections, a supposition which has been borne out in one animal study.
