Avaliação da cafeína no controle da infecção experimental de macrófago por Salmonella Typhimurium

Abstract

Salmonellosis is an infectious disease transmitted mainly by foods contaminated with bacteria of the genus Salmonella, among them Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium, which can cause gastroenteritis until sepsis and septic shock in groups at risk. Organic compounds for pharmacological purposes are being increasingly tested. Among these compounds, caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine), one of the most used pharmacological and psychostimulant substances in the world. Severalstudies have demonstrated its role as a therapeutic adjunct, immunomodulator and adenosine receptor antagonist (ARs). In view of this, the objective was to evaluate the immunomodulatory potential of caffeine in peritoneal macrophages infected with Salmonella enterica Sor. Typhimurium. For this, in vitro tests were performed with cultures of macrophages exposed to caffeine concentrations to determine the degree of cytotoxicity of the compound; curative and preventive tests of cell viability, in order to evaluate cellular survival and quantification of intracellular bacteria, aiming to analyze the clearance of the pathogen from the intracellular medium. A direct antibacterial activity test was also carried out to evaluate the efficacy of caffeine in preventing the development of S. typhimurium. The results demonstrated that caffeine did not produce a toxic effect on the uninfected macrophages at the concentrations used, promoted a greater viability of the infected macrophages, but was not able to act as a direct bactericide. Caffeine contributed to the survival of macrophages infected with S. Typhimurium, having potential for the control of bacterial infections.