Figure 2. The interaction between diet and T. cruzi infection enhances the development of cardiovascular disorders.
Lipid metabolism was analyzed by the measurements of plasma levels of A. triglycerides and B. total cholesterol after 12h fasting in mice from either LFD, DIO, DIO+I or LFD+I groups. C. Lipoprotein pattern was assessed by electrophoresis. ApoB100 was quantified at 24 weeks and analyzed by one-way ANOVA: DIO, DIO+I and LFD+I vs. LFD: * p < 0.05. D. A representative hematoxylin and eosin image of heart tissue from each group is shown (400x). The arrows represent inflammatory foci (white) and lipid deposition (black). Scale bar = 20μm. E. A representative hematoxylin and eosin image of abdominal aorta from each group is shown (400x). The arrows represent inflammatory foci (white) and lipid deposition (black). Data are shown as mean ± SEM of seven mice per group from one experiment representative of two performed. Statistical analysis was made by using two-way ANOVA test as follows: DIO vs. LFD: *** p < 0.001, ** p < 0.01, * p < 0.05, and DIO vs. DIO+I: ф p < 0.05, ффф p < 0.001.