Zincum metallicum 5cH increases survival and improves clinical mice infected with Trypanosoma cruzi

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.

Physicochemical Properties of Zinc and Lactose in Solid Mixtures: Influence of Trituration Process

“…Although zinc has long been used in traditional and complementary medicine, only a few studies have been published describing its effects in homeopathic preparations. 1 5 6 Gonçalves et al 7 described non-linear response on macrophages challenged with homeopathic doses of Zincum met. Also, Bonafini et al 4 investigated the in-vitro effects of zinc in liquid homeopathic formulations on cell models of macrophages and astrocytes, showing important cellular alterations.…”

“…The Brazilian Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia's manufacturing process to prepare solid mixtures involves successively vigorous cycles of trituration and scraping, in which the drug (active compound, e.g., zinc) is mixed with lactose (excipient) in different proportions, giving rise to dynamized systems. 8 9 Though the interaction between lactose and drug has been largely explored in in-vivo and in-vitro models, 1 3 4 5 6 7 few studies have been dedicated to understanding the physicochemical behavior of these homeopathic solid mixtures. 9 10 11…”