Table 1.
The NO donor trans-[RuCl([15]aneN4)NO]2+ produced parasitological cure of experimental Chagas' disease
|
Positive results/testb |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Therapeutic schedulea | No of positive ELISA/total | No of positive haemoculture/total | No of positive real-time PCR/total | No of positive tests post-treatment/total (%) | Cure rate (%) |
| Ascorbic acidc (AA) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1/1 (100) | 0 |
| Benznidazole (Bz) | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6/10 (60) | 40 |
| NO donor | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7/10 (70) | 30 |
| NO donor + Bz | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2/10 (20) | 80 |
| NO donor + AA | 8 | 4 | 8 | 8/10 (80) | 20 |
| NO donor + AA + Bz | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2/10 (20) | 80 |
The effects of the NO donor, trans-[RuCl([15]aneN4)NO]2+, given alone and/or: AA, Bz as well as the NO donor plus ascorbic acid plus benznidazole on mice infected with T. cruzi Y strain on measures of cure are shown.
Swiss female mice, 28–30 g, were infected with 1 × 103 blood trypomastigotes of T. cruzi Y strain. Treatment started after detection of patent parasitaemia, on day 5 p.i. given daily over a period of 20 days. The NO donor trans-[RuCl([15]aneN4)NO]2+, and AA were injected i.p. at 3.33 µmol·kg−1·day−1. Bz was administered orally at 385 µmol·kg−1. The infected control group received PBS. Data are expressed as the mean ± SEM and are representative of three independent experiments with similar results, n= 10. PBS, phosphate buffered saline.
Results shown are the number of positive ELISA, haemoculture and real time PCR tests. Ten mice were used for each treatment group and for the not infected and T. cruzi-infected controls.
Only one animal remained alive until the period of the cure rate evaluation in the control group. No survivals were observed in the PBS, untreated control group.