Nanopartículas poliméricas catiônicas como potencial imunoadjuvante contra Trypanosoma cruzi

Abstract

Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and is considered a neglected tropical disease. Novel immunoadjuvants have been studied to improve the immune response and treatment efficacy. Nanoparticles are drug delivery devices that target specific cells, enhancing therapeutic action and may possess immunomodulatory characteristics. This study explored the use of cationic PLGA-PEI nanoparticles as potential immunoadjuvants in response to T. cruzi infection. The results obtained were satisfactory and promising. During the research, it was demonstrated that cationic nanoparticles interacted with proteins and exhibited favorable properties, such as appropriate size and cellular viability. When tested as immunoadjuvants in animal models, the nanoparticles stimulated an immune response similar to aluminum hydroxide, a commonly used human immunoadjuvant. Furthermore, the nanoparticles were observed to stimulate the production of high avidity and specific antibodies of subclasses IgG2b and IgG3, which play important roles in the inflammatory process and effector cell activity. These findings are relevant as the formulated nanoparticles are unprecedented in the literature and demonstrate significant potential for the development of immunomodulatory strategies in the context of T. cruzi infection.