Highly diluted medication reduces tissue parasitism and inflammation in mice infected by Trypanosoma cruzi

Neuroprotective Treatments for Digestive Forms of Chagas Disease in Experimental Models: A Systematic Review

Chagas disease is an anthropozoonosis caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi and is characterized as a neglected disease. It is currently endemic in 21 countries on the Latin American continent, including Bolivia, Argentina, and Paraguay. Unfortunately, there are no optimally effective treatments that can reduce the damage caused in the digestive form of the disease, such as the neuronal destruction of the myenteric plexus of both the esophagus and the colon. Therefore, the objective of this systematic review was to report the possible pharmacological neuroprotective agents that were tested in murine models of the digestive form of Chagas disease. Inclusion criteria are in vivo experimental studies that used different murine models for digestive forms of Chagas disease related to pharmacological interventions with neuroprotective potential, without year and language restriction. On the other hand, the exclusion criteria were studies that did not approach murine models with the digestive form of the disease or did not use neuroprotective treatments, among others. The search in the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and LILACS databases was performed on September 4, 2021. In addition, a manual search was performed using the references of the included articles. The risk of bias assessment of the studies was performed based on the SYRCLE tool guidelines, and the data from the selected articles are presented in this review as a narrative description and in tables. Eight articles were included, 4 of which addressed treatment with acetylsalicylic acid, 3 with cyclophosphamide, and 1 with Lycopodium clavatum 13c. In view of the results of the studies, most of them show neuroprotective activity of the treatments, with the potential to reduce the number of damaged neurons, as well as positive changes in the structure of these cells. However, more studies are needed to understand the mechanisms triggered by each drug, as well as their safety and immunogenicity. Systematic review registration is as follows: PROSPERO database (CRD42022289746).

Bioresilience to Mercury Chloride of the Brine Shrimp Artemia Salina after Treatment with Homeopathic Mercurius Corrosivus

INTRODUCTION

 Finding solutions to mitigate the impact of pollution on living systems is a matter of great interest. Homeopathic preparations of toxic substances have been described in the literature as attenuation factors for intoxication. Herein, an experimental study using Artemia salina and mercury chloride was developed as a model to identify aspects related to bioresilience.

AIMS

 The aim of the study was to describe the effects of homeopathic Mercurius corrosivus (MC) on Artemia salina cysts hatching and on mercury bioavailability.

METHODS

 Artemia salina cysts were exposed to 5.0 µg/mL of mercury chloride during the hatching phase. MC potencies (6cH, 30cH, and 200cH) were prepared in sterile purified water and poured into artificial sea water. Different controls were used (non-challenged cysts and challenged cysts treated with water, succussed water, and Ethilicum 1cH). Four series of nine experiments were performed to evaluate the percentage of cyst hatching. Soluble total mercury (THg) levels and precipitated mercury content were also evaluated. Solvatochromic dyes were used to check for eventual physicochemical markers of MC biological activity.

RESULTS

 Significant delay (p < 0.0001) in cyst hatching was observed only after treatment with MC 30cH, compared with controls. This result was associated with an increase of THg concentration in water (p = 0.0018) and of chlorine/oxygen ratio (p < 0.0001) in suspended micraggregates, suggesting changes in mercury bioavailability. A specific interaction of MC 30cH with the solvatochromic dye ET33 (p = 0.0017) was found.

CONCLUSION

 Changes in hatching rate and possible changes in Hg bioavailability are postulated as protective effects of MC 30cH on Artemia salina, by improving its natural bioresilience processes.

Silicea terra and Zincum metallicum Modulate the Activity of Macrophages Challenged with BCG In Vitro

BACKGROUND

 The homeopathic medicines Silicea terra (Sil) and Zincum metallicum (Zinc) modulate macrophage activity and were assessed in an experimental study in-vitro for their effects on macrophage-BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) interaction.

METHODS

 RAW 264.7 macrophages were infected with BCG, treated with different potencies of Sil and Zinc (6cH, 30cH and 200cH) or vehicle, and assessed 24 and 48 h later for bacilli internalization, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and cytokine production, and lysosomal activity.

RESULTS

 Treatment with vehicle was associated with non-specific inhibition of H₂O₂ production to the levels exhibited by uninfected macrophages. Sil 200cH induced significant reduction of H₂O₂ production (p < 0.001) compared with the vehicle and all other treatments, as well as higher lysosomal activity (p ≤ 0.001) and increased IL-10 production (p ≤ 0.05). Such effects were considered specific for this remedy and potency. The number of internalized bacilli was inversely proportional to Zinc potencies, with statistically significant interaction between dilution and treatment (p = 0.003). Such linear-like behavior was not observed for Sil dilutions: peak internalization occurred with the 30cH dilution, accompanied by cellular degeneration, and IL-6 and IL-10 increased (p ≤ 0.05) only in the cells treated with Sil 6cH.

CONCLUSION

 Sil and Zinc presented different patterns of potency-dependent effect on macrophage activity. Bacterial digestion and a balanced IL-6/IL-10 production were related to Sil 6cH, though reduced oxidative stress with increased lysosomal activity was related to Sil 200cH. Degenerative effects were exclusively related to Sil 30cH, and potency-dependent phagocytosis was related only to Zinc.

Treatment with Lycopodium clavatum 200dH Intensifies Kidney and Liver Injury in Mice Infected with Toxoplasma gondii

The effects of infection with Toxoplasma gondii vary from asymptomatic to the development of alterations in various organs (including the liver and kidneys) which may be irreversible, and lead to the death of the host. Whereas homeopathy is an alternative and effective method for treating various diseases, including those caused by protozoa, we questioned the effect of using Lycopodium clavatum in mice infected with T. gondii. One hundred male Swiss mice, 60 days old, were divided into four groups (n = 25/group): NIC (uninfected and untreated control), IC (infected and treated with un-dynamized 7% alcohol solution [vehicle]), G48 (infected and treated 48 h before infection and treated three more times; at 2, 4, and 6 days post-infection (dpi) with L. clavatum 200dH), and G72 (infected and treated for 3 consecutive days before infection with L. clavatum 200dH). In this study, physiological, histopathological, and immunological parameters were evaluated. The L. clavatum 200dH intensified renal damage in mice infected with T. gondii from 7 dpi, causing severe and progressive alterations during this period, such as various degrees of inflammation, edema, atrophy, and tubular cystic dilation, degenerated tubules with intra-cytoplasmic vacuoles and coalescing spots, severe vascular lesions, glomerulonephritis, and peri-glomerular congestion. In the G72 animals, which received L. clavatum 200dH, more severe cortex damage was observed (91.66-96.66%) as compared to the IC group (55-80%) and more renal corpuscle, and renal tubule injury was observed (80 ± 5 to 96.7% ± 2.89 of the total area) during all periods, as compared to the IC group (p < 0.05). Both groups presented high liver enzyme levels, and the highest values for AST were observable at 60 dpi. We observed significant increases of type I and III collagen, as well as high levels of TGF-β1 in both organs of the treated animals, the main factor involved in fibrosis in areas damaged by the process. L. clavatum 200dH intensifies kidney and liver alterations in mice infected with T. gondii. Our results reinforce caution when indicating administration schemes and dosages for ultra-diluted drugs.

Beneficial immunomodulatory and neuro digestive effect in Trypanosoma cruzi infection after Lycopodium clavatum 13c treatment

Studies show that highly diluted medications demonstrate benefits in treating infections, constituting an alternative for their treatment. The present study evaluated the effects of Lycopodium clavatum, dynamization 13c, in Wistar rats infected with T. cruzi. In this study 42 male rats were intraperitoneally inoculated with T. cruzi - Y strain and allocated into groups: IC (infected control group) and Ly (treated with L. clavatum 13c). The cytokines dosage (IFN-γ, IL-12, IL-10, IL-4), quantification and morphometry of myenteric neurons were evaluated. The treatment with L. clavatum modifies the immune response, with increase of IFN-γ on day 10 a.i. and IL-12 on day 24 a.i., decrease of IL-10 concentration on day 10 a.i. and subsequent increase of this cytokine and IL-4 on day 24 a.i., affording a bigger number of myenteric neurons compared to IC group. Thus, L. clavatum 13c promoted on rats infected with T. cruzi a beneficial immunomodulatory action reducing the pathogenic progression of digestive Chagas disease.

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.