Study of acute chagasic mice under immunosuppressive therapy by cyclosporin A: modulation and confocal analysis of inflammatory reaction

The in vivo effects of cyclosporin A (CsA) on Trypanosoma cruzi infection were examined using different schedules of the drug in mice infected with the Y strain. Parasitaemia at day 8 after infection among CsA-treated animals was usually higher than control infected non-treated mice. On the other hand, mortality analysis showed that animals CsA-treated either with 200 mg/kg 2 days before infection or with therapeutic doses (10 mg/kg every other day) showed almost the same mean time of death (35.8 and 38.2 days, respectively). in these groups mice died 50% less than control infected non-treated ones. the mean time of death in the animals treated with 200 mg/kg 5 days after infection and in infected non-treated control mice were respectively 29.0 and 22.6 days. the kinetics analysis of the leukocyte population of animals treated with a single dose of 200 mg/kg of CsA before or after infection did not show the alternate pattern of leukopenia/leukocytosis observed in control groups of infected mice but differential cell counts indicated a modulatory action upon circulating leukocytes of therapeutic doses of CsA. the animals treated with any of the CsA schedules showed a moderate to intense diffuse inflammatory reaction exhibiting mainly mononuclear cells in the heart. Immunofluorescence analysis by confocal microscopy revealed that macrophages are a major component of the inflammatory infiltrate in all groups of CsA-treated mice and also in the control group. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.Ist Oswaldo Cruz, Dept Protozool, Lab Imunomodulacao, BR-21045900 Rio de Janeiro, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc