TY - JOUR AU - de Souza, Elen M. AU - Oliveira, Gabriel M. AU - de Nazaré C. Soeiro, Maria PY - 2007/12/31 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Electrocardiographic Findings in Acutely and Chronically T. cruzi-infected Mice Treated by a Phenyl-Substituted Analogue of Furamidine DB569 JF - Drug Target Insights JA - dti VL - 2 IS - 1 SE - Original Research Article DO - 10.33393/dti.2007.2024 UR - https://journals.aboutscience.eu/index.php/dti/article/view/2024 SP - 61-69 AB - <p>Aromatic diamidines have been successfully used to combat a wide range of parasites that cause important human&nbsp;infections. Recently we reported that a N-phenyl-substituted analogue of furamidine (DB569) exerts a micromolar&nbsp;trypanocidal activity against Trypanosoma cruzi in vitro. Since DB569 also reduces the cardiac parasitism and increases&nbsp;the survival rates of T. cruzi-infected mice, our present aim was to analyze the potential protection of DB569 in the development&nbsp;of altered cardiac electrical conduction system during acute and chronic T. cruzi infection. In our experimental&nbsp;model of acute infection (Swiss mice inoculated with Y strain of T. cruzi), the prevailing disorder observed in electrocardiogram&nbsp;(ECG) analyses was sinus bradycardia. This ECG alteration was reverted in acutely infected mice treated with&nbsp;DB569. Interestingly, the DB569 treatment reduced signifi cantly the numbers of CD8+ T cells in the cardiac infi ltration. In&nbsp;addition, the noticed protection of DB569 in the ECG fi ndings of acutely-infected animals was further extended to the&nbsp;chronic infection. Our data suggest that the reversion to and further maintenance of normal ECG profi le in the DB569-treated infected animals may be associated with the reduced cardiac CD8+ lymphocyte infi ltration and parasitism that might&nbsp;be ultimately contributing to their increased survival rates.</p> ER -