Fig 2. Treatment with CoPP during acute Y strain infection increases survival, reduces heart parasitism and inflammation.

BALB/c mice were infected with 10³ blood trypomastigotes of the Y strain of T. cruzi and treated from days 0–10 with CoPP (5 mg/Kg, i.p.) or SnPP (5 mg/Kg, i.p.). (A) Parasitemia (n = 6–7 mice per group); (B) survival (n = 4–11 mice per group); (C) Parasite burden in peritoneal macrophages (ex vivo 15 dpi, n = 3–8 mice per group); (D) Parasite burden in peritoneal macrophages infected in vitro and treated with CoPP or SnPP (n = 20 cels per bar, from experiment of 2); (E) Heart (left ventricle) and liver histopathology (H&E slides); (F) Cardiac parasitic load (amastigote counting in H&E slides; n = 3–5 mice per group); (G) Cardiac infiltrate (leukocyte counting in H&E slides, n = 3–5 mice per group); (H) Plasma levels of the cardiac injury marker CK-MB (n = 3–5 mice per group); (I) Hepatic parasitic load (amastigote counting in H&E slides; n = 3–5 mice per group); (J) Hepatic infiltrate (leukocyte counting in H&E slides, n = 3–5 mice per group); (K) Representative EKG tracing; (L-P) EKG parameters (n = 14–18 mice per group): heart rate (RR interval); duration of PR interval; duration of P wave; duration of QRS; QT interval corrected by heart rate; (Q-T) Echo parameters (n = 10–18 mice per group): % Ejection Fraction (stroke volume/ end diastolic volume); Stroke Volume (μL); Left Ventricle Area (mm²); Right Ventricle Area (mm2), both transverse section. NI = non-infected; − = infected non-treated; CoPP = infected mice treated with CoPP; SnPP = infected treated with SnPP. Student’s t test was used to find a p-value.