Different forms of administration of biotherapy 7dH in mice experimentally infected by Trypanosoma cruzi produce different effects

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.

Modulation of inflammation response to murine cutaneous Leishmaniasis by homeopathic medicines: Antimonium crudum 30cH

Background: Leishmaniasis is a zoonotic disease caused by protozoan parasites of the mononuclear phagocytic system. The modulation activity of these cells can interfere in the host/parasite relationship and influences the prognosis.

Methods: We evaluated the effects of the homeopathic preparation Antimonium crudum 30cH on experimental infection induced by Leishmania (L.) amazonensis. Male Balb/c mice were inoculated with 2 × 106 Leishmania (L.) amazonensis promastigotes into the footpad and, after 48 h (acute phase) or 60 days (chronic phase), cell population of lymphocytes and phagocytes present in the peritoneal washing fluid and spleen were analyzed by flow cytometry and histopathology, with histometry of the subcutaneous primary lesion, local lymph node and spleen. Immunohistochemistry was performed to quantify CD3 (T lymphocyte), CD45RA (B lymphocyte) and CD11b (phagocytes) positive cells.

Results: In treated mice, during the acute phase, there was significant increase of the macroscopic lesion, associated to inflammatory edema, as well increase in the number of free amastigotes and B lymphocytes inside the lesion. Increase of B lymphocytes (predominantly B-2 cells) was also seen in the local lymph node, spleen and peritoneum. In the chronic phase, the inflammatory process in the infection focus was reduced, with reduced phagocyte migration and peritoneal increase of B-1a cells (precursors of B-2 immunoglobulin producers cells) and T CD8+ cells.

Conclusion: The treatment of mice with Antimonium crudum 30cH induced a predominantly B cell pattern of immune response in Leishmania (L.) amazonensis experimental infection, alongside the increase of free amastigote forms number in the infection site. The clinical significance of this study is discussed, further studies are suggested.

Phosphorus protects cardiac tissue by modifying the immune response in rats infected by Trypanosoma cruzi

AIM

This study evaluates and correlates the number of myocarditis focuses and production of cytokines in Rattus norvegicus (Wistar lineage), experimentally infected with T. Cruzi and treated with Phosphorus.

METHODS

In two blind, controlled and randomized trials, 53 45-day-old, male animals were allocated into groups Control (n=24): Control group infected and treated with 7% hydroalcoholic solution, the preparation vehicle of the test medication; and Phosphorus (n=24 on days 0, 5, 10 and 24 after infection): group infected and treated with Phosphorus 13cH, diluted 10^-26 and dynamized (test medication). The animals were inoculated intraperitoneally with 5×10⁶ blood trypomastigotes of T. cruzi-Y strain. The medication was administered overnight (16 consecutive hours), diluted in water (1mL/100mL) in amber water bottles. The animals were treated 2days before and 2, 4, and 6days after infection. Enumeration of inflammatory foci in cardiac tissue (Hematoxylin-Eosin) and dosage of cytokines TNF-α and IFN-γ in the serum were performed on days 0, 5, 10 and 24 after infection, using three animals/group. Mann-Whitney, Friedman ANOVA, Spearman correlation (p<0.05), and Statistica Single User Software version 13.2 were used for data analysis.

RESULTS

The animals treated with Phosphorus 13cH had high concentration of INF-ɣ on the 5th day of infection with significant decrease on the 10th and 24th days (p<0.05), and high concentration of TNF-α on the 5th and 10th days of infection with decrease on the 24th day (p<0.05). The treatment with Phosphorus caused a significant increase of INF-ɣ and TNF-α on the 5th day of infection compared with the Control (p<0.05), with reestablishment on the 24th day, as well as in the Control group. The group treated with Phosphorus had 52.5% less number of myocarditis focuses in heart than Control group (p<0.05) on the 10th day of infection. The significant increase in cytokines on the5th day of infection in the Phosphorus group is related to a significant decrease in the number of inflammatory foci in cardiac tissue on the 10th day of infection in this group.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Treatment with Phosphorus 13cH promotes beneficial effects in T. cruzi infection in Wistar rats by modulating the secretion of IFN-γ and TNF-α with decreased inflammation in cardiac tissue. These results reinforce the importance of considering the use of homeopathy for establishing new therapeutic approaches in the management of patients with Chagas disease.

Different treatment schemes and dynamizations of Trypanosoma cruzi biotherapies: what information do they transfer to the organism in infected mice?

BACKGROUND

The use of biotherapies in Trypanosoma cruzi infection can provide an understanding about effects of these highly diluted medications.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate different treatment schemes and dynamizations of biotherapies prepared from blood trypomastigotes (buffy coat) in mice infected with T. cruzi.

METHODS

Swiss mice infected with Y strain of T. cruzi were divided into two experiments. Experiment 1, all treated groups received biotherapy 7dH (10 μL/mL ad libitum) in different treatment schemes: TB_7dH - treated 3 days before infection; TBA_7dH - treated 3 days before and after infection; TBAe.d._7dH - treated 3 days before infection and every day after infection and IC - infection control. Experiment 2, all treated groups received medication in different dynamizations 3 days before and after infection (10 μL/mL ad libitum): TBA_15dH - treated with biotherapy 15dH; TBA_16dH - treated with biotherapy 16dH; TBA_17dH - treated with biotherapy 17dH; TBA_p.chords - treated with biotherapy 'potency chords' and IC - infection control. We evaluated parasitological and clinical parameters.

RESULTS

Experiment 1 showed that different treatment schemes with biotherapy 7dH produced different effects on infection evolution. TBA_7dH group had the best outcome, with lower parasitemia, higher survival, and better clinical evolution compared to IC. Experiment 2 showed that biotherapy 'potency chords' had effects different from the individual dynamizations that it contained (15dH, 16dH, and 17dH). Animals that had patent parasitemia had delayed emergence of parasites in blood and subsequent increase in parasitemia, but had better clinical evolution compared to IC.

CONCLUSIONS

The effects of T. cruzi biotherapies depend on frequency at which they are administered, dynamization, and host-parasite relationship/individual susceptibility of treated organism. Biotherapy appeared to transfer to infected organism 'antigenic information' related to parasite and 'disease information' related to molecules produced by host's immune response and contained in the buffy coat used to prepare the medication.

Canova medication changes TNF-α and IL-10 serum levels in mice infected with Trypanosoma cruzi Y strain

OBJECTIVE

To identify whether Canova medication changes TNF-α and IL-10 serum levels in mice infected with Trypanosoma cruzi Y strain.

METHODS

Animals were divided into five groups: non-treated infected animals (I); benznidazole-treated infected animals (Bz; 100 mg/kg body weight, single daily dose by gavage); Canova medication (CM) treated infected animals (CM; 0.2 mL/animal, single daily dose by gavage); benznidazole- and Canova medication-treated infected animals with the above-mentioned dose (Bz+CM); and non-infected animals (C). TNF-α and IL-10 levels were determined in serum aliquots after 4, 7, 10, 13, and 29 days of infection. An ELISA technique was employed with R&D System Inc. antibody pairs.

RESULTS

A high increase in TNF-α and IL-10 levels occurred in the infected and CM-treated groups within the treatment employed on the 10th day after infection, coupled with a IL-10 decrease on the 13th day after infection when compared with the other experimental groups.

CONCLUSIONS

CM may change the balance between plasma cytokine levels (TNF-α and IL-10) in mice infected with Y strain T. cruzi, with important consequences leading towards a more severe infection.

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.

Highly diluted medication reduces parasitemia and improves experimental infection evolution by Trypanosoma cruzi

Background

There is no published information about the use of different protocols to administer a highly diluted medication.

Evaluate the effect of different protocols for treatment with biotherapic T. cruzi 17 dH (BIOT_Tc17dH) on clinical/parasitological evolution of mice infected with T. cruzi-Y strain.

Methods

A blind, randomized controlled trial was performed twice, using 60 28-day-old male Swiss mice infected with T. cruzi-Y strain, in five treatment groups: CI - treated with a 7% ethanol-water solution, diluted in water (10 μL/mL) ad libitum; BIOT_PI - treated with BIOT_Tc17dH in water (10 μL/mL) ad libitum during a period that started on the day of infection; BIOT_4DI - treated with BIOT_Tc17dH in water (10 μL/mL) ad libitum beginning on the 4^th day of infection; BIOT_4-5–6 - treated with BIOT_Tc17dH by gavage (0.2 mL/ animal/day) on the 4^th, 5^th and 6^th days after infection; BIOT_7-8–9 - treated with BIOT_Tc17dH by gavage (0.2 mL/ animal/day) on the 7^th, 8^th and 9^th days after infection. We evaluated: parasitemia; total parasitemia (P_total); maximum peak of parasites; prepatent period (PPP) - time from infection to detection of the parasite in blood; patent period (PP) - period when the parasitemia can be detected in blood; clinical aspects; and mortality.

Results

Parasitological parameters in the BIOT_PI and mainly in the BIOT_4PI group showed better evolution of the infection compared to the control group (CI), with lower P_total, lower maximum peak of parasites, higher PPP, lower PP and longer survival times. These animals showed stable body temperature and higher weight gain and water consumption, with more animals having normal-appearing fur for longer periods. In contrast, groups BIOT_4-5–6 and BIOT_7-8–9 showed worse evolution of the infection compared to the control group, considering both parasitological and clinical parameters. The correlation analysis combined with the other data from this study indicated that the prepatent period is the best parameter to evaluate the effect of a medication in this model.

Conclusions

The BIOT_4DI group showed the best clinical and parasitological evolution, with lower parasitemia and a trend toward lower mortality and a longer survival period. The prepatent period was the best parameter to evaluate the effect of a medication in this model.