FIG 2.

Beneficial effects of PTX, Bz, and Bz-plus-PTX therapies on electrical alterations in experimental Chagas' heart disease. Chronically T. cruzi-infected C57BL/6 mice were treated daily (120 to 150 dpi) with Veh, PTX (20 mg/kg in saline, intraperitoneally), or a suboptimal dose of Bz (one-quarter dose of 25 mg/kg in water, by gavage) alone or combined with PTX (Bz plus PTX) and analyzed at 150 dpi. (A) Representative electrocardiographic register segments of NI controls and infected mice pretherapy (120 dpi) injected with vehicle or administered PTX, Bz, or Bz-plus-PTX therapy and analyzed at 150 dpi. (B) Summary of the group data showing the percentages of mice afflicted by arrhythmias. (C) Group data showing the percentages of mice afflicted by AVB2 and the numbers of AVB2 events recorded in 2 min. (D) Average heart rate (beats per minute). (E) Group data showing QTc interval (milliseconds). Each group consisted of 7 to 10 mice per experiment. Pretherapy and Veh-injected infected mice were compared with NI controls (**, P < 0.01; ***, P < 0.001). Mice administered therapy with PTX, Bz, or Bz plus PTX were compared with Veh-injected mice (#, P < 0.05; ##, P < 0.01; ###, P < 0.001). Mice treated with Bz plus PTX were compared with Bz-treated mice (‡, P < 0.05). Mice treated with PTX, Bz, or Bz plus PTX were compared with pretherapy mice (†, P < 0.05; ††, P < 0.01; †††, P < 0.001). A continuous line over the bars indicates identical statistical results in the three analyzed groups. Graphs show means ± SE.