title: Long-term therapy with deflazacort decreases myocardial fibrosis in mdx mice.
abstract: We evaluated the effects of long-term administration of deflazacort (DFZ) on the progression of myocardial fibrosis in mdx mice. Mdx mice (6 months old) were treated with DFZ for 15 months. Myocardial fibrosis (MF) was evaluated by histomorphometric methods, and treated and untreated mdx mice of the same age (21 months) were compared. DFZ significantly decreased MF. We conclude that long-term therapy with DFZ is effective in slowing down the progression of fibrosis in the dystrophin-deficient heart.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Anatomia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), CP 6109, 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Julia
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Marques
authors.forename: Daniella Silva
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Oggiam
authors.forename: Isabel Cristina Chagas
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Barbin
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ferretti
authors.forename: Humberto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Santo Neto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D018101:Mice, Inbred mdx; D009137:Muscular Dystrophy, Animal / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D011282:Pregnenediones / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D011282:Pregnenediones; C021988:deflazacort