The cellular membranes of Trypanosoma cruzi, like all eukaryotes, contain varying amounts of phospholipids, sphingolipids, neutral lipids and sterols. A multitude of pathways exist for the de novo synthesis of these lipid families but Trypanosoma cruzi has also become adapted to scavenge some of these lipids from the host. Completion of the TriTryp genomes has led to the identification of many putative genes involved in lipid synthesis, revealing some interesting differences to higher eukaryotes. Although many enzymes involved in lipid synthesis have yet to be characterised, completed experiments have shown the indispensability of some lipid metabolic pathways. Furthermore, the bioactive lipids of Trypanosoma cruzi and their effects on the host are becoming increasingly studied. Further studies on lipid metabolism in Trypanosoma cruzi will no doubt reveal some attractive targets for therapeutic intervention as well as reveal the interplay between parasite lipids, host response and pathogenesis.

像所有真核生物一样，克氏锥虫的细胞膜含有不同量的磷脂，鞘脂，中性脂质和固醇。这些脂质家族的从头合成存在多种途径，但是克鲁氏锥虫也已经变得适于从宿主中清除这些脂质中的一些。TriTryp基因组的完成已导致鉴定出许多参与脂质合成的推定基因，从而揭示了与高级真核生物的一些有趣差异。尽管尚未涉及与脂质合成有关的许多酶的特性，但完整的实验表明某些脂质代谢途径不可或缺。此外，克氏锥虫的生物活性脂质并且它们对宿主的影响也越来越受到研究。克氏锥虫中脂质代谢的进一步研究无疑将揭示一些有吸引力的治疗干预目标，并揭示寄生虫脂质，宿主反应和发病机制之间的相互作用。