Effect of 4-amino-3-nitrobenzoic acid on the expression level of the trans-sialidase gene in Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes

Trans-sialidase of Trypanosoma cruzi (TcTS) is a key enzyme in the infection process from parasite to host; therefore, it has been considered an important target for developing new anti-Chagas drugs. Different compounds with trypanocidal activity and/or inhibition of TcTS have been reported; however, some benzoic acid derivatives have shown high enzymatic inhibition but low trypanocidal activity and viceversa. These results show that each compound may possess a different mechanism of action. Based on the above, the compound 4-amino-3-nitrobenzoic acid (16), a potent TcTS inhibitor (77% inhibition in enzymatic assays) was selected to evaluate its effects on the expression level of the TS gene in T. cruzi epimastigotes and determine its involvement in the mechanism of action. Results showed an increase in the expression level of the TcTS gene, which confirmed that compound 16, has a direct effect on TcTS.