EFFECTS OF VITAMIN C SUPPLEMENTATION ON THE CHRONIC PHASE OF CHAGAS DISEASE

Introduction: In order to examine the effectiveness of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in combating the oxidative insult caused by Trypanosoma cruzi during the development of the chronic phase of Chagas disease, Swiss mice were infected intraperitoneally with 5.0 × 104 trypomastigotes of T. cruzi QM1strai...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
Main Authors: Ricardo Guimarães MARIM, Alex Silva de GUSMÃO, Roberto Esteves Pires CASTANHO, Rafael DEMINICE, Altino Luiz Silva THEREZO, Alceu Afonso JORDÃO JÚNIOR, Marcos Renato de ASSIS, Elane de Fátima TAIPEIRO, Luciamare Perinetti Alves MARTINS
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Universidade de São Paulo (USP) 2015
Subjects:
Lipid peroxidation biomarkers
Chagas disease
Parasitemia
Inflammation
Ascorbic acid
ROS
RNS
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine
RC955-962
Infectious and parasitic diseases
RC109-216
Arctic
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1590/S0036-46652015000300011
https://doaj.org/article/e13b4ac4a7a84bd69a9f458aba41c47d
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Summary:Introduction: In order to examine the effectiveness of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in combating the oxidative insult caused by Trypanosoma cruzi during the development of the chronic phase of Chagas disease, Swiss mice were infected intraperitoneally with 5.0 × 104 trypomastigotes of T. cruzi QM1strain. Methods: Mice were given supplements of two different doses of vitamin C for 180 days. Levels of lipid oxidation (as indicated by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances-TBARS), total peroxide, vitamin C, and reduced glutathione were measured in the plasma, TBARS, total peroxide and vitamin C were measured in the myocardium and histopathologic analysis was undertaken in heart, colon and skeletal muscle. Results: Animals that received a dose equivalent to 500 mg of vitamin C daily showed increased production of ROS in plasma and myocardium and a greater degree of inflammation and necrosis in skeletal muscles than those that received a lower dose or no vitamin C whatsoever. Conclusion: Although some research has shown the antioxidant effect of vitamin C, the results showed that animals subject to a 500 mg dose of vitamin C showed greater tissue damage in the chronic phase of Chagas disease, probably due to the paradoxical actions of the substance, which in this pathology, will have acted as a pro-oxidant or pro-inflammatory.

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