ABSTRACT
Studies show that highly diluted medications demonstrate benefits in treating infections, constituting an alternative for their treatment. The present study evaluated the effects of Lycopodium clavatum, dynamization 13c, in Wistar rats infected with T. cruzi. In this study 42 male rats were intraperitoneally inoculated with T. cruzi - Y strain and allocated into groups: IC (infected control group) and Ly (treated with L. clavatum 13c). The cytokines dosage (IFN-γ, IL-12, IL-10, IL-4), quantification and morphometry of myenteric neurons were evaluated. The treatment with L. clavatum modifies the immune response, with increase of IFN-γ on day 10 a.i. and IL-12 on day 24 a.i., decrease of IL-10 concentration on day 10 a.i. and subsequent increase of this cytokine and IL-4 on day 24 a.i., affording a bigger number of myenteric neurons compared to IC group. Thus, L. clavatum 13c promoted on rats infected with T. cruzi a beneficial immunomodulatory action reducing the pathogenic progression of digestive Chagas disease.
Subject(s)
Chagas Disease/immunology , Immunomodulation , Lycopodium/chemistry , Neurons/immunology , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Trypanosoma cruzi/drug effects , Animals , Cell Body/drug effects , Cell Body/immunology , Cell Body/parasitology , Cell Body/pathology , Chagas Disease/drug therapy , Colon/innervation , Colon/parasitology , Colon/pathology , Cytokines/metabolism , Digestion , Disease Models, Animal , Homeopathy , Interferon-gamma/metabolism , Interleukin-10/metabolism , Interleukin-12/metabolism , Interleukin-4/metabolism , Male , Neurons/drug effects , Neurons/parasitology , Neurons/pathology , Rats , Rats, Wistar , Trypanosoma cruzi/immunology , Trypanosoma cruzi/pathogenicityABSTRACT
Recent evidence includes apoptosis as a defense against Trypanosoma cruzi infection, which promotes an immune response in the host induced by T cells, type 1, 2 and 17. Currently, there is no medicine completely preventing the progression of this disease. We investigated the immunological and apoptotic effects, morbidity and survival of mice infected with T. cruzi and treated with dynamized homeopathic compounds 13c: Kalium causticum (GCaus), Conium maculatum, (GCon), Lycopodium clavatum (GLy) and 7% alcohol solution (control, vehicle compounds, GCI). There was significant difference in the increase of apoptosis in the treated groups, compared with GCI, which might indicate action of the compounds in these cells. Infected animals treated with Lycopodium clavatum presented better performance compared with other groups. GLy showed a higher amount of hepatocytes and splenocytes undergoing apoptosis, higher number of apoptotic bodies in the liver, predominance of Th1 response, increased TNF-α and decreased IL-6, higher survival, lower morbidity, higher water consumption, body temperature, tendency to higher feed intake and weight gain compared with GCI. Conium maculatum had worse results with increased Th2 response with increased IL-4, worsening of the infection with early mortality of the animals. Together, these data suggest that highly diluted medicines modulate the immune response and apoptosis, affecting the morbidity of animals infected with a highly virulent strain of T. cruzi, being able to minimize the course of infection, providing more alternative approaches in the treatment of Chagas disease.
Subject(s)
Apoptosis/drug effects , Chagas Disease/drug therapy , Hepatocytes/drug effects , Lycopodium/chemistry , Plant Extracts/therapeutic use , Spleen/drug effects , Trypanosoma cruzi/pathogenicity , Animals , Body Temperature , Chagas Disease/physiopathology , Conium/chemistry , Cytokines/metabolism , DNA Fragmentation , Disease Models, Animal , Drinking , Hepatocytes/parasitology , Hepatocytes/pathology , Interleukin-4/metabolism , Interleukin-6/metabolism , Male , Mice , Morbidity , Plant Extracts/administration & dosage , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Spleen/parasitology , Spleen/pathology , Survival Rate , Th1 Cells/immunology , Th2 Cells/immunology , Trypanosoma cruzi/immunology , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism , Weight GainABSTRACT
We investigated the number of megakaryocytes, Kupffer cells and ratios of Th1/Th2 and Th1/Th17 cytokines in survival of mice infected with Y strain of Trypanosoma cruzi and treated with Lycopodium clavatum. In a blind, randomized and controlled assay, Swiss male mice, 8weeks-old, infected with 1400 trypomastigotes (Y strain) were divided into groups and treated with: GLy - Lycopodium clavatum dynamization13c and GCI - alcohol solution 7° GL (vehicle medicine). The treatment was offered two days before infection and on the 2nd, 4th and 6th days after infection, overnight (1mL/100mL) and ad libitum. Parameters assessed were: survival rate, number of megakaryocytes and Kupffer cells, cytokines dosage (TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17), Th1/Th2 and Th1/Th17 ratios. The increase in megakaryocytes, Kupffer cells, predominance of Th1 response, with increased TNF-α, IL-10, TNF-α/IL-4, TNF-α/IL-17 and decreased IL-6 IL-6/IL-4, are related to increased survival in mice infected with T. cruzi and treated with Lycopodium clavatum 13c. This result demonstrates the possibility of an alternative approach for the treatment of Chagas disease with dynamized drugs.
