The anticancer drug tamoxifen is active against Trypanosoma cruzi in vitro but ineffective in the treatment of the acute phase of Chagas disease in mice.
The activity of the antineoplastic drug tamoxifen was evaluated against Trypanosoma cruzi. In vitro activity was determined against epimastigote, trypomastigote and amastigote forms of CL14, Y and Y benznidazole resistant T. cruzi strains. Regardless of the strain used, the drug was active against all life-cycle stages of the parasite with a half maximal effective concentration ranging from 0.7-17.9 µM. Two experimental models of acute Chagas disease were used to evaluate the in vivo efficacy of treatment with tamoxifen. No differences in parasitemia and mortality were observed between control mock-treated and tamoxifen-treated mice.
Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
Danilo Ciccone
DC
Miguel
Marcela Lencine
ML
Ferraz
Rosana de Oliveira
Rde O
Alves
Jenicer K U
JK
Yokoyama-Yasunaka
Ana Claudia
AC
Torrecilhas
Alvaro José
AJ
Romanha
Silvia R B
SR
Uliana
D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000188:drug therapy; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017211:Treatment Failure; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000187:drug effects*
D014344:Trypanocidal Agents; D013629:Tamoxifen