IMR Press / FBL / Volume 8 / Issue 5 / DOI: 10.2741/1103

Frontiers in Bioscience-Landmark (FBL) is published by IMR Press from Volume 26 Issue 5 (2021). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Frontiers in Bioscience.

Article
Role of vasoactive mediators in the pathogenesis of Chagas' disease
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1 Department of Pathology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, USA
2 Departments of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York
3 Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Front. Biosci. (Landmark Ed) 2003, 8(5), 410–419; https://doi.org/10.2741/1103
Published: 1 May 2003
Abstract

This review focuses on the vascular pathogenesis of Chagas' disease, the cardiomyopathy caused by infection with the parasitic protozoa Trypanosoma cruzi. Recent studies strongly suggests that T. cruzi infection is linked to functional changes in the activity of two potent vasoactive peptidergic mediators, endothelin-1, a vasoconstrictor, and kinins, a group of vasodilator and pro-inflammatory peptides related to bradykinin. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying disturbances of vascular homoeostasis? induced by T. cruzi may provide opportunities for therapeutic intervention and amelioration of heart pathology.

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