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Artigo Produção Nacional Revisado por pares

BIBTEX RIS

Dehydroepiandrosterone increases resistance to experimental infection by Trypanosoma cruzi

2008; Elsevier BV; Volume: 153; Issue: 3-4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.vetpar.2008.01.039

1873-2550

Carla Domingues Santos, Míriam Paula Alonso Toldo, Fabrícia Helena Santello, Marina Del Vecchio Filipin, Vânia Brazão, José Clóvis do Prado Júnior,

Research on Leishmaniasis Studies

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) enhances immune responses against a wide range of viral, bacterial, and parasitic pathogens. In a previous study, we reported that administration of DHEA significantly decreased the numbers of blood parasites in Trypanosoma cruzi experimental infection. The present study was undertaken to determine the effectiveness of DHEA in reducing the severity of acute phase T. cruzi infection of male and female Wistar rats. Animals were treated subcutaneously with 40 mg/kg body weight/day of DHEA. The concentration of nitric oxide (NO) was determined in spleen peritoneal cavity. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) were determined in the sera of uninfected and infected animals. DHEA treatment augments NO production for both sexes after in vitro LPS treatment for uninfected animals. Infection triggered enhanced NO levels although not significant. IL-2 and IFN-γ were detectable in higher concentrations in treated and infected rats of both genders when compared to untreated controls. These data suggest that DHEA may have a potent immunoregulatory function that can affect the course of T. cruzi infection.