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. 2021 Jul 14;11:692655. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.692655

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy model and treatment with suboptimal dose of benznidazole (Bz), pentoxifylline (PTX), or benznidazole and pentoxifylline (Bz + PTX). (A) Experimental design of infection and treatment. Mice were infected and treated daily from 120 to 150 dpi with vehicle, suboptimal dose of Bz (¼ dose, 25 mg/kg), PTX (20 mg/kg), a combined therapy of Bz+PTX and analyzed at 150 dpi. (B) Average heart rate (vs. non-infected: vehicle: p = 0.001; Bz: p = 0.047). (C) Average P duration (vs. non-infected: vehicle: p < 0.001; Bz: p = 0.021; vs. vehicle: Bz: p = 0.010; PTX: p < 0.001; Bz+PTX: p = 0.003). (D) Average PR interval (vs. non-infected: Vehicle: p < 0.001; Bz: p = 0.008). (E) Average QTc interval (vs. Non-infected: Vehicle: p < 0.001; Bz: p < 0.001; Bz+PTX p = 0.006; vs. vehicle: Bz: p = 0.008; PTX: p < 0.001; Bz+PTX: p < 0.001). (F) Parasitemia levels (vs. non-infected: vehicle: p < 0.05). (G) Parasite load based on qPCR detection of T. cruzi satellite DNA on mice heart tissue (vs. Non-infected: Vehicle: p < 0.05). (H) Percentage of fibronectin+ area (vs. non-infected: vehicle: p < 0.001; vs. vehicle: Bz: p < 0.001; Bz+PTX p < 0.001; Bz+PTX: p < 0.001). (I) Immunohistochemical staining of fibronectin in the cardiac tissue. Number of mice per group: non-infected = 5; Vehicle = 4; Bz = 5; PTX = 5; Bz+PTX = 5. For all graphs, significance was determined using one-way ANOVA all pairwise multiple comparison vs. non-infected (*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001) and vs. Vehicle (#p < 0.05, ##p < 0.01, ###p < 0.001).