Trypanosoma cruzi: The effects of zinc supplementation in the immune response during the course of experimental disease |
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Authors: | Brazão Vânia Caetano Leony Cristina Filipin Marina Del Vecchio Santello Fabricia Helena Toldo Míriam Paula Alonso do Prado José Clóvis |
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Institution: | Laboratório de Parasitologia, Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto FCFRP-USP, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida do Café s/n, 14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil |
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Abstract: | Zinc is an essential nutritional component required for normal development and maintenance of immune functions. The possible effects of zinc in upregulating the host immune response during the acute and chronic phases of experimental Chagas’ disease were evaluated. In young, infected and Zn-supplemented animals, higher concentrations of IFN-γ and NO were observed. During the chronic phase, decreased concentrations of NO and IFN-γ were found for older infected animals that received Zn supplementation. For young animals, hearts from Zn-supplemented groups displayed reduced inflammatory infiltrate, heart weight and number of amastigote burdens. For older, infected and Zn-supplemented animals amastigote nests were absent with reduced inflammatory cell infiltrate. This study identifies a potentially novel therapeutic approach that could control the parasite load during acute phase of disease, consequently preventing the deleterious, parasite-elicited responses observed during chronic phase. |
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Keywords: | Trypanosoma cruzi Zinc Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) Nitric oxide (NO) Tissue parasitism Young and older rats |
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