Pentoxifylline Reverses Chronic Experimental Chagasic Cardiomyopathy in Association with Repositioning of Abnormal CD8+ T-Cell Response

BackgroundChronic chagasic cardiomyopathy (CCC), the main clinical sign of Chagas disease, is associated with systemic CD8⁺ T-cell abnormalities and CD8-enriched myocarditis occurring in an inflammatory milieu. Pentoxifylline (PTX), a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, has immunoregulatory and cardioprotective properties. Here, we tested PTX effects on CD8⁺ T-cell abnormalities and cardiac alterations using a model of experimental Chagas’ heart disease.Conclusions/SignificancePTX therapy ameliorates critical aspects of CCC and repositioned CD8⁺ T-cell response towards homeostasis, reinforcing that immunological abnormalities are crucially linked, as cause or effect, to CCC. Therefore, PTX emerges as a candidate to treat the non-beneficial immune deregulation associated with chronic Chagas'' heart disease and to improve prognosis.