title: Clomipramine and benznidazole association for the treatment of acute experimental Trypanosoma cruzi infection.
abstract: Alternative strategies are being designed to identify candidates among drugs already available on the market that could be used in combination to improve the efficacy of Chagas disease treatment. This work evaluates the effect of the association of clomipramine (CLO) with benznidazole (BZN) for the treatment of experimental Chagas disease in the acute stage, in Swiss albino mice infected with Trypanosoma cruzi Tulahuen strain. Infected mice were treated with CLO 5mg/kg/day and BZN 50 and 100mg/kg/day, each separately or together. Efficacy of the treatment was evaluated through parasitemia, survival, electrocardiography, histopathological studies, serological and PCR assays at 90 days post-infection (dpi). All treatments significantly (P<0.05) reduced mortality and decreased parasitemia. Histopathological analysis of liver and kidneys of mice treated with CLO and the drug combination showed less injury than mice treated only with BZN. The lower dose of BZN (50mg/kg/day) combined with CLO showed the same efficacy as the habitual dose of BZN (100mg/kg/day) combined with CLO. The therapeutic results from the combination of BZN with CLO presented lesser side effects than the treatment with BZN.
authors.affiliation: Cátedra de Física Biomédica, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Santa Rosa 1085, Córdoba, Argentina.
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Strauss
authors.forename: M Silvina
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lo Presti
authors.forename: Paula Carolina
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Bazán
authors.forename: Alejandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baez
authors.forename: Romina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fauro
authors.forename: Blanca
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Esteves
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sanchez Negrete
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cremonezzi
authors.forename: Patricia A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Paglini-Oliva
authors.forename: H Walter
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Rivarola
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D002997:Clomipramine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D007422:Intestines / Q000473:pathology; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D009593:Nitroimidazoles / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018512:Parasitemia; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D009593:Nitroimidazoles; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents; D002997:Clomipramine; C009999:benzonidazole