Salmonella typhimurium infection increased the necrosis of diazoxon-exposed mononuclear cells

Salmonella typhimurium is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes salmonellosis. It has been reported that this bacterium can infect immune system cells and spread throughout the body. This infection process can be influenced by pesticide exposure, and this phenomenon may also cause alterations in cell death. This could be beneficial for the bacterium, as it allows it to infect other cells, evade the immune system, and acquire nutrients. In this study, apoptosis and necrosis were evaluated in human mononuclear cells previously exposed to diazoxon (DXN) (1 µM) and infected with S. typhimurium for 1 h. It was observed that in mononuclear cells exposed only to the pesticide or infected with the bacteria, cell death occurred mainly through apoptosis. However, the combination of both factors led to necrosis. Suggesting Mononuclear that the pesticide enabled the activation of other signaling mechanisms. Additionally, actin polymerization activity increases when cells are exposed to bacteria and pesticides, suggesting the activation of mechanisms related to the actin cytoskeleton. Conversely, when colonies exposed to both DXN and S. typhimurium harbored more intracellular bacteria. These findings suggest that diazoxon exposure combined with S. typhimurium infection induces an immunotoxic process in which the predominant mechanism is necrosis.