The results demonstrate the beneficial effect of Ethylicum 6cH in acute murine infection by T. cruzi.

No abstract

The Multicenter International Project suggests Zincum Mettalicum high diluted as object of study in different experimental models. Aim: evaluate the effect of substance high diluted Zincum metallicum in murine experimental infection by Trypanosoma cruzi. Metodology: was performed a blind, controlled, randomized, using 60 swiss male mice, 56 days old, divided into groups: CNI - uninfected and untreated animals; CI - infected and untreated animals; infected and treated animals: ZN5cHTA - Zinc 5ch and LAC5cHTA - Lactose 5ch , 48 hours before and after infection, subsequently were treated 56/56 hours until 9th day of infection; ZN5cHTTD - Zinc 5Ch and LAC5cHTTD - Lactose 5cH, everyday from the 4th of infection. Animals were inoculated with 1.400 blood trypomastigotes, strain Y-T. cruzi, intraperitoneally. Medicines were handled, prepared in grain alcohol 70%, and dynamized up to 100 times until 4cH. To obtain the 5cH it was used bi-distilled sterilized water filtered in membrane - 0.22 µm [1], on separate days (first Lactose and then Zinc) and stored in different rooms. Microbiological test in vivo and toxicity were made in accordance with current legislation [2].Test solutions were diluted in water at a concentration of 10% (1mL/100mL) after dilution in water. Clinical (temperature, weight, water/foodintake and excreta)[3] and parasitological parameters (pre-patent and patent period, peak parasitemia, and parasitemia overall survival time)[4] were assessed daily. Data were compared BioEstat 5.0, significance level of 5%. Project was approved by the Ethics Committee on Animal Use in Experimentation of the Universidade Estadual de Maringa by opinion number 025/2014. Results: ZN5cHTA group had a higher survival rate than their control LAC5cHTA (p=0.004). ZN5cHTA shows 55.7% probability of surviving to the 15th day after infection, while LAC5cHTA 29.4%. ZN5cHTA also provides significantly better performance (p= 0.0206) compared to CI, contrary to what occurs with LAC5cHTA x CI (p=0.7410). There is no significant difference in survival between the different treatments schemes TA and TTD, either with ZN5cH (p=0.0754) or LAC5cHTA (p=0.9480), although the best ZN5cHTA present trend toward benefit. Considering parasitological parameters ZN5cHTA group had higher pre-patent period (PPP) meaning benefit to infected animals [5]. Although ZN5cHTA shows greater number of parasites from 6th to 11th day of infection and right shift of parasitemia peak in relation to LAC5cHTA (p=0.020), this group displayed a better performance compared to the other groups as observed in other models [6]. Conclusion: ZN5cHTA group had higher survival, greater pre-patent period and better clinical outcome compared to control LAC5cHTA and to other groups. This result may be related to higher total parasitemia and alterations in the parasite cycle time observed in this group. These findings suggest aggravation with posterior benefit as reported in some cases of homeopathic treatment.

Although several diseases are treated by toxic drugs, their side effects may hamper adherence to the therapy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of the association of ponderal benznidazole (BZ) with its ultra-high diluted (UHD) formula on clinical and parasitological parameters of mice infected by Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi). 24 non-isogenic Swiss mice were divided into groups: CI – infected animals treated with 7% alcohol; BZp – infected animals treated with BZ (500 mg/ kg) from the beginning of infection; BZp+d – infected animals treated with ponderal BZ and with UHD BZ, which started to be administered four days after the beginning of treatment with ponderal BZ; CNI - group of non-treated and non-infected animals. The UHD medicine was prepared according to Phamacopoeia until 30x. The different treatment schedules were statistically compared through parasitological and clinical parameters. The group BZp+d displayed more favorable clinical evolution than the group BZp, with improvement of mass gain, feed conversion and water intake, presenting data approximated to CNI group. The significant increase of the body temperature of BZp+d group indicates an activation of the immune system which was not observed in the other groups. Moreover, the anti-parasitic effect of the ponderal drug was maintained in all parasitological parameters of this group. By reducing the side effects and maintaining the action of the ponderal drug, the combination of toxic drugs with their UHD formula could be considered a way of improving efficacy of the treatment.

Aims: Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) is associated with metabolic complications. An unexpected extension of functional implications of melatonin, the neuro-hormone synthetized during the night, has been reported on the development of type 2 diabetes, sleep disturbances and depression. Melatonin has been shown to reduce the toxicity and increase the efficacy of a large number of drugs. Objective: Current study evaluated the effect of Melatonin on mice treated with antiretroviral therapy. Materials and Methods: Animals were divided into experimental groups with 12 animals each: (I) animals treated with antiretroviral therapy for 15 days, (II) animals treated with antiretroviral therapy and melatonin 6 mg/kg/day for 15 days, (III) untreated animals. Body weight, water intake and ration, excretion products and behavior were clinically assessed before and after treatment; further, serum cholesterol, triglycerides, hepatic enzymes (AST, ALT, GGT), creatinine, were evaluated by specific methods. Results were analyzed with GraphPad Prism by Student´s t test. Results: Animals treated with antiretroviral therapy and melatonin (II) had higher body weight gain, Original Research Articleless hepatomegaly, less anxiety, lower levels of triglycerides, cholesterol and hepatic enzymes when compared to animals treated with antiretroviral therapy. Conclusion: Due to the low toxicity of melatonin and its ability to reduce the side effects and increase the efficacy of drugs its use as a combination therapy with antiretroviral therapy seems important and worthy of pursuit.