title: Does cyclophosphamide play a protective role against neuronal loss in chronic T. cruzi infection?
abstract: In this study, we verified the possible role of cyclophosphamide (CY) in protecting or not against neuronal losses in young and aged male Calomys callosus chronically infected with the MORC-1 strain of Trypanosoma cruzi through numerical quantification of neurons from the myenteric plexus of the colon and quantification of nitric-oxide concentration (NO) during the acute and chronic phase of infection. For this purpose, groups of young C. callosus were infected with the MORC-1 strain of T. cruzi. A group of infected animals received i.p. 0.2 mg/ml genuxal dissolved in distilled water treatment with CY. NO concentration in aged animals displayed reduced levels when compared to those found in young animals. No significant alterations in the number of neurons were observed in young animals, but for aged ones, a protective role of CY in reducing neuron loss was noted, in addition to enhancing the neuronal volume, area, and perimeter. These results suggest that CY administration, depending on the dose and time span, can act as a protective agent against neuronal losses.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, Universidade de São Paulo, 14040-903, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil. leony@fcfrp.usp.br
authors.forename: Leony Cristina
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Caetano
authors.forename: Sérgio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zucoloto
authors.forename: Laura Midori
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Kawasse
authors.forename: Miriam Paula Alonso
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Toldo
authors.forename: José Clóvis
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: do Prado
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D003411:Arvicolinae; D002452:Cell Count; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003106:Colon / Q000294:innervation* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008297:Male; D009197:Myenteric Plexus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000472:pathogenicity
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D003520:Cyclophosphamide