Changes of RAPD profile of Trypanosoma cruzi II with Canova and Benznidazole

Effects of Highly Diluted Drugs on Experimental Infection with Trypanosoma cruzi In Vivo: Systematic Review

Objective: To investigate, through a systematic review, the effects of the use of highly diluted drugs in the treatment of experimental infection with Trypanosoma cruzi. Design: The authors searched for scientific publications in the databases PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, LILACS, and the Google Scholar search system, from 2000 to 2018, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement. According to the criteria established, a total of 22 studies were included. Settings/Location: The study took place at the State University of Maringá, Maringá, PR, Brazil. Subjects: Male mice (Mus musculus) or rats (Rattus norvegicus). Interventions: Highly diluted drugs. Outcome measures: The parameters evaluated in the studies were parasitological, clinical, immunological, histopathological and hematological. Results: The studies demonstrated that the effects of highly diluted drugs are related to their dynamizations, treatment regimen, and host susceptibility to T. cruzi infection, and depend on the initial information transmitted to the treated organism, making this information the "model" of how the treated organism will react. Regardless of the mechanism of action, these drugs provide a decrease in inflammation, which is one of the central phenomena of the pathogenesis of T. cruzi infection. Conclusions: This systematic review brings out the importance of the T. cruzi infection model as a reliable and valid model for studying different effects produced by highly diluted drugs. Considering the findings and in a broader perspective, this study contributes to considering these drugs as a possible way of dealing with "treatment" in general, presents the need to reexamine the biochemical model and develop a model for the effect of high dilutions in general, as well as for the treatment of parasitic infections.

Survey of immuno-allergological ultra high dilution research

BACKGROUND

Experiments about basic research in Immuno-allergology reported by M. Bastide and B. Poitevin in Ultra High Dilution (1994) have been appraised from a 20 year perspective. The numerous experiments published mainly focus on immunological regulation, inflammatory process and basophil activation. They are analyzed according to one essential criterion: repeatability.

METHODS

The commentary reflects the research details made available in a recently published literature review, also published in French.

RESULTS

The regulatory effect of high dilution of bursin on immune response has been observed in multiple experiments but not reproduced by independent teams. The immunomodulating effect of Thymulin has been confirmed in mice. Rhus toxicodendron has an anti-inflammatory activity on different models, from mother tincture (TM) to very high dilutions. The homeopathic complex Canova activates macrophages in vitro and in vivo, induces lymphocyte proliferation, and reduces the size of tumors and mortality of sarcoma-bearing mice. Some homeopathic medicines used in clinical inflammation modulate in vitro the neutrophil activation, with variability in the protocols used and in the medicines tested. In allergology, high dilution histamine has an inhibitory effect on basophil activation in multicenter trials and with independent teams, either with methods implying a change in basophil staining or with flow cytometry. However, high dilution histamine had no effect in some well-conducted experiments. The inhibitory effect of Apis mellifica has not been studied with the flow cytometry method, as well as the activation of basophil by anti-IgE high dilution, published in Nature.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite considerable research activity in immuno-allergology and a great increase in the number of publications, there is still not in this domain a "gold standard" trial in basic research in homeopathy. The most studied system, the inhibitory effect of histamine high dilutions on basophil activation, requires clarifications of various factors, including individual sensitivity. For scientific and epistemological reasons, the same work should be carried out for independent reproduction of the experiments conducted with anti-IgE and Apis mel high dilution, in complement of the new axes of research in immunoallergology developed since 20 years.

Modulation of inflammation response to murine cutaneous Leishmaniosis by homeopathic medicines: thymulin 5cH

BACKGROUND

In previous studies, we observed that thymulin 5cH could modulate BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin) induced chronic inflammation by increasing peritoneal B1 stem cells differentiation into phagocytes and improving phagocytosis efficiency.

METHODS

We used the same protocol to study the effects of thymulin 5cH in the experimental murine Leishmaniasis, in order to elucidate some aspects of the parasite-host relation under this homeopathic treatment. Male Balb/c mice were orally treated with thymulin 5cH or vehicle during 60 days, after the subcutaneous inoculation of 2 × 10(6) units of Leishmania (L.) amazonensis into the footpad. Washied inflammatory cell suspension from peritoneal cavity, spleen, local lymph node and infected subcutaneous tissue were harvested after 2 and 60 days from infection to quantify the inflammation cells by flow cytometry and histometry methods.

RESULTS

After a transitory increase of peritoneal T reg cells, treated mice presented, chronically, increase in the peritoneal and spleen B1 cells percentage (p = 0.0001) in relation to other cell types; more organized and exuberant inflammation response in the infection site, and decrease in the number of parasites per field inside the primary lesion (p = 0.05). No difference was seen in local lymph node histology.

CONCLUSIONS

Thymulin 5cH is able to improve B1 cell activation and Leishmania (L) amazonensis phagocytosis efficiency in mice, similarly to that observed previously in BCG experimental infection.

Physical exercise protects myenteric neurons and reduces parasitemia in Trypanosoma cruzi infection

To evaluate the parasitemia, nitrergic neurons, and cytokines in Trypanosoma cruzi-infected mice subjected to moderate physical exercise, forty male Swiss mice, 30days of age, were divided: Trained Control (TC), Trained Infected (TI), Sedentary Control (SC), and Sedentary Infected (SI). The moderate physical exercise program on a treadmill lasted 8weeks. Three days after completing the moderate physical exercise program, the TI and SI groups were inoculated with 1300 blood trypomastigotes of the Y strain of T. cruzi, and parasitemia was evaluated from day 4 to day 22 after inoculation. After 75days of infection, cytokines were measured and colonic neurons were quantified using immunofluorescence to identify neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). The results were analyzed using analysis of variance - Tukey and Kruskal-Wallis tests, to 5% significance. Moderate physical exercise reduced the parasite peak on day 8 of infection and total parasitemia (p<0.05), contributed to survival of number of nNOS-immunoreactive neurons (p<0.01) and promoted neuronal hypertrophy of the neurons (p<0.05), increased the synthesis of tumor necrosis factor-α (p<0.01) and transforming growth factor-β (p>0.05), providing beneficial effects to the host by acting on the immune system to preserve nitrergic neurons.

Testing the nanoparticle-allostatic cross-adaptation-sensitization model for homeopathic remedy effects

Key concepts of the Nanoparticle-Allostatic Cross-Adaptation-Sensitization (NPCAS) Model for the action of homeopathic remedies in living systems include source nanoparticles as low level environmental stressors, heterotypic hormesis, cross-adaptation, allostasis (stress response network), time-dependent sensitization with endogenous amplification and bidirectional change, and self-organizing complex adaptive systems. The model accommodates the requirement for measurable physical agents in the remedy (source nanoparticles and/or source adsorbed to silica nanoparticles). Hormetic adaptive responses in the organism, triggered by nanoparticles; bipolar, metaplastic change, dependent on the history of the organism. Clinical matching of the patient's symptom picture, including modalities, to the symptom pattern that the source material can cause (cross-adaptation and cross-sensitization). Evidence for nanoparticle-related quantum macro-entanglement in homeopathic pathogenetic trials. This paper examines research implications of the model, discussing the following hypotheses: Variability in nanoparticle size, morphology, and aggregation affects remedy properties and reproducibility of findings. Homeopathic remedies modulate adaptive allostatic responses, with multiple dynamic short- and long-term effects. Simillimum remedy nanoparticles, as novel mild stressors corresponding to the organism's dysfunction initiate time-dependent cross-sensitization, reversing the direction of dysfunctional reactivity to environmental stressors. The NPCAS model suggests a way forward for systematic research on homeopathy. The central proposition is that homeopathic treatment is a form of nanomedicine acting by modulation of endogenous adaptation and metaplastic amplification processes in the organism to enhance long-term systemic resilience and health.

RAPD analysis with the primer L15996 of Brazilian clinical and environmental Cryptococcus neoformans isolates

Different methods have been used to perform the molecular characterization of Cryptococcus neoformans. Among them, RAPD analysis is able to separate isolates of the same species and genotypes. This study aimed to evaluate clinical and environmental C. neoformans isolates from Minas Gerais, Brazil by RAPD and correlate the genetic profiles with the ones obtained by URA5-RFLP, virulence factors and antifungal susceptibility patterns. Forty-five environmental (31 from areas surrounding hospital and 14 from captive bird droppings from pet-shops) and 29 clinical C. neoformans isolates were evaluated. Antifungal susceptibility tests (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute), URA5-RFLP analysis and the assessment of virulence factors were performed according to their original descriptions. RAPD profiles were obtained using the L15996 primer (5'-CTCCACCATTAGCACCCAAAGC-3'). RAPD analysis generated two to 20 bands for all studied isolates. The isolates presented similarities ranging from 10.8 to 100.0%. Considering a minimum identity score of 50%, four clusters were formed. Cluster I contained 10 pet-shops bird dropping isolates, cluster II contained 22 clinical isolates most of them recovered from cerebrospinal fluid, cluster III contained 14 isolates from hospital surroundings and cluster IV contained 12 environmental isolates most from hospital surroundings. Fourteen isolates were not grouped. The RAPD profiles were clustered according to their source and URA5-RFLP pattern. No correlation between virulence factors or antifungal susceptibility profile with the obtained RAPD profiles was observed.

Neuronal changes caused by Trypanosoma cruzi: an experimental model

Define an experimental model by evaluating quantitative and morphometric changes in myenteric neurons of the colon of mice infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. Twenty-eight Swiss male mice were distributed into groups: control (CG, n=9) and inoculated with 100 (IG(100), n=9) and 1000 (IG(1000), n=10) blood trypomastigotes, Y strain-T. cruzi II. Parasitemia was evaluated from 3-25 days post inoculation (dpi) with parasites peak of 7.7 × 10(6) and 8.4 × 10(6) trypomastigotes/mL at 8(th) dpi (p>0.05) in IG(100) and IG(1000), respectively. Chronic phase of the infection was obtained with two doses of 100mg/Kg/weight and one dose of 250mg/Kg/weight of Benznidazole on 11, 16 and 18 dpi. Three animals from each group were euthanized at 18, 30 and 75 dpi. The colon was stained with Giemsa. The quantitative and morphometric analysis of neurons revealed that the infection caused a decrease of neuronal density on 30(th) dpi (p<0.05) and 75 dpi (p<0.05) in IG(100) and IG(1000). Infection caused death and neuronal hypertrophy in the 75(th) dpi in IG(100) and IG(1000) (p<0.05, p<0.01). The changes observed in myenteric neurons were directly related to the inoculate and the time of infection.

A review of immunomodulators with reference to Canova

Immunomodulators are substances which modify the immunity of an individual to favour a particular immunological response. The immune response and the function of the immune response regulation process are described, with special reference to cancer and autoimmune disease. Homeopathy and its role in immune regulation are discussed with special reference to Canova. Canova is a homeopathic product produced, according to the Hahnemannian homeopathic method, in Brazil. Its role in cancer, bone marrow and haematopoiesis as well as macrophage and monocyte activation is reviewed. Canova seems to stabilize platelet morphology in human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). The data suggest that the future of immunomodulators and homeopathic products which appear to have an effect on the immune response requires a better understanding of the relative need for immune activation versus immune modulation. Homeopathic products specifically need more attention.