Abstract
Chagasic patients with cardiomyopathy have low levels of selenium (Se), a fundamental trace element. We evaluated the effect of supplementing infected mice with Se (0.25–16 ppm). Supplementation with 0.25 or 1 ppm Se led to parasitaemia and survival curves similar to those of the control group. Mice treated with 4–16 ppm showed a dose-dependent decrease of parasitaemia, significant for the highest concentration. This was probably due to a direct effect on the parasites, which were lysed after in vitro incubation with Se. Survival rates did not change significantly; however, heart damage was reduced in infected mice supplemented with 4 ppm Se, as indicated by a lower cardiac isoform of creatine kinase levels. Our results imply that Se supplementation does not lead to a general protection during infection, but may help protect the heart from inflammatory damage. The effect of Se supplementation in the course of T. cruzi infection depends on the host-parasite pair employed.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Dr. Linda A. Jelicks for a critical review of the manuscript and to Marcos Meuser Baptista and Alexandre H. de Oliveira for their technical assistance. This work was supported by grants from CNPq, FIOCRUZ and FAPERJ and was performed in accordance with the guidelines established by the FIOCRUZ Commission of Ethics for the Use of Animals, resolution 099/99-PR.
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de Souza, A.P., de Oliveira, G.M., Vanderpas, J. et al. Selenium supplementation at low doses contributes to the decrease in heart damage in experimental Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Parasitol Res 91, 51–54 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-003-0867-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-003-0867-9