Banca de DEFESA: JÊMEDE DUARTE VALENÇA

Uma banca de DEFESA de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : JÊMEDE DUARTE VALENÇA
DATE: 30/01/2026
TIME: 09:00
LOCAL: Sala de Seminario DMV
TITLE:

EVALUATION OF RESVERATROL AND COENZYME Q10 SUPPLEMENTATION IN HEALTHY AND Trypanosoma cruzi –INFECTED MICE

KEY WORDS:

Chagas Disease, nutraceuticals, treatment, metagenomic, strucural changes

PAGES: 106
BIG AREA: Ciências Agrárias
AREA: Medicina Veterinária
SUBÁREA: Medicina Veterinária Preventiva
SPECIALTY: Doenças Parasitárias de Animais
SUMMARY:

Chagas disease represents a serious public health problem due to its high morbidity and mortality, particularly during the chronic phase. Growing evidence suggests that nutraceuticals such as resveratrol and coenzyme Q10 may contribute to reducing progressive tissue damage and organ dysfunction associated with the chronic stage of the disease. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of resveratrol and coenzyme Q10 supplementation in healthy mice and in mice experimentally infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. Initially, the effects of parenteral administration of resveratrol and coenzyme Q10 on the gut microbiota of BALB/c mice were evaluated. Twelve animals were divided into three groups (control, resveratrol, and coenzyme Q10) and received daily injections of these nutraceuticals for 120 days. At the end of the experiment, fecal samples were subjected to shotgun metagenomic analysis. Subsequently, an experimental murine model of Chagas disease was conducted, in which 18 mice were experimentally infected with T. cruzi and allocated into three groups: control, resveratrol-treated, and coenzyme Q10–treated. The protocol lasted 120 days, with daily parenteral administration of resveratrol or coenzyme Q10 at doses adjusted to body weight. At the end of the experimental period, animals were euthanized in accordance with Brazilian Federal Council of Veterinary Medicine nº 1000/2012, followed by necropsy. liver, heart, and brain samples were collected, fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin, and embedded in paraffin. Histological analyses were performed on 5 μm, sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin. To confirm infection, DNA was extracted from paraffin-embedded tissues and analyzed by PCR using genus- and order-specific primers. The metagenomic analysis revealed a shift in the Firmicutes/Bacteroidota ratio toward eubiosis, with resveratrol exerting a more robust modulatory effect, suggesting its potential as a nutraceutical agent capable of shaping the gut microbiota. Histopathological evaluation of the liver demonstrated that both nutraceuticals exert significant hepatoprotective effects during chronic T. cruzi infection, acting through distinct yet convergent mechanisms that improve hepatic injury. Not only, resveratrol showed a more comprehensive cardioprotective effect, completely preventing moderate to severe lesions, but also coenzyme Q10 also prevented lesions in cardiac tissue. In addition, antioxidant therapy with resveratrol and coenzyme Q10 mitigated neuropathological alterations during the chronic phase, supporting their potential as adjuvant therapeutic strategies. In conclusion, both resveratrol and coenzyme Q10, even when administered parenterally, induced significant changes in gut microbiota composition, with distinct impacts on bacterial diversity and intestinal ecology. These findings support resveratrol and coenzyme Q10 as promising candidates for the development of adjuvant therapies aimed at reducing liver, cardiac, and neurological morbidity associated with chronic Chagas disease

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - LEUCIO CAMARA ALVES
Interno - VALDEMIRO AMARO DA SILVA JUNIOR
Interno - GERALDO JORGE BARBOSA DE MOURA
Externa à Instituição - LEONIE ASFORA SARUBBO
Externa à Instituição - VIRGINA MARIA BARROS DE LORENA