Effect of actinomycin D on Trypanosoma cruzi.
Viable metacyclic forms of T. cruzi, Y strain, treated with an adequate dose of actinomycin D (50 micrograms Act-D/ml/10(7) parasites/ml for 72 h at 28 degrees C) showed the following properties: 1) they lost their ability to replicate in culture medium, in blood and in tissues of normal mice and were no longer able to incorporate tritiated thymidine; 2) they could not penetrate into Vero cells and could not replicate inside normal macrophages; 3) they retained their immunogenicity and the ability to protect mice against a virulent infection; 4) they did not induce histological lesions as described in chronic experimental Chagas' disease.
da Cruz
M Q
MQ
Instituto de Puericultura e Pediatria da UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Bräscher
H M
HM
Vargens
J R
JR
Oliveira-Lima
A
A
D000818:Animals; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004261:DNA Replication / Q000187:drug effects; D003609:Dactinomycin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D008264:Macrophages / Q000469:parasitology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology; D014709:Vero Cells
D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D003609:Dactinomycin