de Lourdes Higuchi Maria
Pathology Laboratory, Heart Institute (InCor) of Clinical Hospital, School of Medicine of São Paulo University, Av. Dr Eneas de Carvalho Aguiar 44, 05403-000 São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Med Hypotheses. 2004;63(4):616-23. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2004.03.043.
The present paper proposes a new therapy using Trypanosoma cruzi trans-sialidase to treat diseases with unclear pathogenesis that present in common chronic inflammation and fibrosis. This hypothesis is based on recent findings that co-infection with mycoplasma and chlamydia is present in many of these diseases and that this enzyme was capable to eliminate or decrease the co-infection from the host. We identified that mycoplasmas and chlamydias are present in atherosclerosis, aortic valve stenosis, dilated cardiomyopathy, chronic chagasic myocarditis and cancer. We hypothetized that mycoplasmal infection may induce immunodepression in the host, favoring proliferation of pre-existent chlamydial infection and that elimination of mycoplasma would lead to improvement of the immune system resistance and the control of chlamydial proliferation. Mycoplasma has a particular parasitic relationship with host cells, involving strong adherence of their membranes, making it extremely difficult to eradicate mycoplasmal infection from the host. A new therapeutic approach is suggested using one or more agents that prevent or inhibit the adherence of mycoplasma to host cell membranes by removing sialic acid residues and preventing oxidation of the cells. The use of a neuraminidase enzyme, particularly the T. cruzi trans-sialidase enzyme, associated with treatment using anti-oxidating agents is proposed. Preliminary experimental animal and laboratory tests showed good results. The proposal that trans-sialidase from T. cruzi is efficient in combating co-infection of mycoplasma and chlamydia is based, at least in part, on the observation that chagasic patients suffering from T. cruzi infection present less mycoplasma and chlamydia infection in their tissues. Also, a lower incidence of the diseases above described to be related to mycoplasma infection is observed in chagasic patients. It is also hypothesized that co-infection with mycoplasma and chlamydia may induce oxidation of the host cells. Anti-oxidants such as those present in plant extracts may also be used in the treatment. Other diseases such as chronic hepatitis, glomerulonephritis, Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer's Syndrome and idiopathic encephalitis are other examples of chronic diseases where mycoplasma and chlamydia might be present, as they have the characteristics of unknown etiology, persistent chronic inflammation and fibrosis.
本文提出了一种使用克氏锥虫转唾液酸酶的新疗法，用于治疗发病机制不明、常见于慢性炎症和纤维化的疾病。这一假设基于最近的研究发现，许多此类疾病中存在支原体和衣原体的共感染，且这种酶能够消除或减少宿主体内的共感染。我们发现动脉粥样硬化、主动脉瓣狭窄、扩张型心肌病、慢性恰加斯心肌炎和癌症中存在支原体和衣原体。我们推测支原体感染可能会导致宿主体内免疫抑制，有利于先前存在的衣原体感染增殖，消除支原体将导致免疫系统抵抗力提高和衣原体增殖得到控制。支原体与宿主细胞具有特殊的寄生关系，包括其细胞膜的强烈黏附，这使得从宿主体内根除支原体感染极其困难。建议采用一种或多种通过去除唾液酸残基和防止细胞氧化来预防或抑制支原体黏附宿主细胞膜的药物的新治疗方法。提出使用神经氨酸酶，特别是克氏锥虫转唾液酸酶，并联合使用抗氧化剂进行治疗。初步的实验动物和实验室测试显示出良好的结果。克氏锥虫转唾液酸酶在对抗支原体和衣原体共感染方面有效的这一提议，至少部分基于以下观察结果：患有克氏锥虫感染的恰加斯病患者组织中的支原体和衣原体感染较少。此外，在恰加斯病患者中观察到上述与支原体感染相关疾病的发病率较低。还推测支原体和衣原体的共感染可能会导致宿主细胞氧化。植物提取物中存在的抗氧化剂等也可用于治疗。其他疾病，如慢性肝炎、肾小球肾炎、多发性硬化症、阿尔茨海默病和特发性脑炎，是可能存在支原体和衣原体的其他慢性疾病例子，因为它们具有病因不明、持续慢性炎症和纤维化的特征。
