Fig. 1: experimental design. (A) In vitro evaluation of the therapeutic effect of curcumin (Cur, 0, 13.5, 27.0 µM) on Trypanosoma cruzi infection of human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1). Intracellular calcium increase, NFAT activation, and endothelin-1 (ET-1) production were analysed at different times of infection. (B) In vivo evaluation of oral Cur therapy in C57BL/6 mice acutely infected with T. cruzi. Comparative analysis was made with infected mice receiving benznidazole, a reference standard drug against the parasite, or no drug treatment. Parasitaemia was measured at 8, 10, 12, and 14 days of infection. Mice were euthanised on day 14 post-infection, and hearts and serum specimens were obtained for histology, studies of vascular integrity, and expression of pro-inflammatory mediators.