title: Experimental Chagas' disease in orchiectomized Calomys callosus infected with the CM strain of Trypanosoma cruzi.
abstract: The incidence and progression of disorders associated with an unbalanced immune response has among many factors the gender as a contributory factor. The aims of this work were to evaluate the effects of orchiectomy and the immune response during the experimental Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Young adult, male Calomys callous were i.p. inoculated with 1 x 10(5) blood trypomastigotes of the CM strain of T. cruzi and divided in groups: Control, Sham and Castrated. Castrated group displayed significantly lower values for prostate and seminal vesicle weights indicating a drastic drop of testosterone plasmatic levels. Orchiectomized animals also displayed lesser number of blood parasites, enhanced lytic antibody percentage, splenocyte proliferation and NO concentration when compared to its sham and control counterparts, indicating that steroid gonadal ablation actually influences immune response triggering a more efficient cellular and humoral response which led animals to become more resistant against T. cruzi infection.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Parasitologia da Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Claudia Henriques
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: Leony Cristina
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Caetano
authors.forename: Antonio Marcos A
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: Renata D'Ambrosio
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: Carla Domingues
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: José Clóvis
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: do Prado
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000096:biosynthesis; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000469:parasitology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D017737:Macrophages, Peritoneal / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000032:analysis; D009919:Orchiectomy; D009929:Organ Size; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000469:parasitology; D011467:Prostate / Q000473:pathology; D012669:Seminal Vesicles / Q000473:pathology; D016205:Sigmodontinae; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D013739:Testosterone / Q000502:physiology*; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D013739:Testosterone