Antioxidants improve cardiac mechanical and electrical function in Colombian strain chronically infected mice.

BALB/c mice were infected with T. cruzi Colombian strain; their heart function was analyzed individually by electro and echocardiography [56]. The mice were treated with antioxidant resveratrol for a month after cardiac disease detection, and the reversal of heart systolic and electrical dysfunction, including arrhythmias, was verified. The treatment with resveratrol or control vehicle was prolonged for an additional month, or performed late after infection, with successful results. The treatment with antioxidant tempol for a month after heart disease detection also improved heart function. The effects of the antioxidant treatment on ROS, oxidative damage, parasitism, inflammatory infiltrates, and fibrosis are shown for each condition, together with the exact timing of infection and treatment. CO, cardiac output; EF, left ventricle ejection fraction; ROS, reactive oxygen species.