Cães jovens fo ra m infectados com as cepas Y e C L do T. cruzi usando-se como inóculos 1 0 7 fo rm a s sangüíneas inoculadaspor via intraperitoneal e 2 x 103 tripomastigotas metacíclicos obtidos do inseto vetor e inoculadospor via conjuntival. A s cepas Y e C L induziram nos cães curvas deparasitem ia totalm ente distintasO cão jovem tem sido considerado como o modelo experimental adequado para o estudo da doença de Chagas na fase aguda pior reproduzir com fidelidade vários aspectos da infecção hum ana2 11. Além disso, o estudo da fase aguda da infecção induzida pelo Trypanosom a cruzi pode ser de grande importância considerando que diferentes autores têm sugerido que muitas das lesões tardias são influencia das pelo curso da doença nesse estágio da doença^ 15. Por outro lado, o estudo do com portamento de várias cepas do T. cruzi em diferentes hospedeiros expe rimentais parece indicar que o parasita influencia nas características da infecção aguda. Entre as diferentes populações do T. cruzi, as cepas Y e C L mostraram no camundongo aspectos praticam ente polares em rela ção à morfologia das formas sangüíneas, curvas de parasitemia, mortalidade, susceptibilidade à quimioterápicos e distribuição de parasitas nos diferentes tecidos e células do hospedeiro^. N os estudos realiza dos mais recentemente em coelhos foram também observadas diferenças significativas nas curvas de parasitemia e outras características da infecção aguda nos animais inoculados com as cepas Y e CL, seja como formas sangüíneas ou com tripomastigotas metacíclicos obtidos do vetor13 14.
Introduction: The aim of this report was to experimen-tally demonstrate the biological actions of acupuncture in an animal model of immune-mediated inflammation associated with a deposition of collagen. Materials and Methods: Male Wistar rats were sensitized by a subcu-taneous implant of heat-solidified hen egg-white and divided into 4 groups: acupuncture, sham acupuncture, immobilized, and control. Acupuncture was initiated the day after sensitization and repeated twice a week for 3 weeks. The dorsal acupoints chosen were GV-14 and BL-13, the ventral acupuncture points were LU-1, CV-17, ST-36 and SP-6. The dorsal points were stimulated manually and the ventral ones by electroacupuncture. On day 14, animals were challenged through the tail vein with Sepharose®beads coupled with ovalbumin. One week later, animals were bled, plasma corticoster-one concentrations were measured and the lungs were removed for histological evaluation. Results: Measurement of the areas of pulmonary lesion on hematoxylin-eosin stained slides showed a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in the inflammatory infiltrate in the acupuncture group, compared to the other 3 groups. Utilization of Litt and Picrosirius staining methods, in order to better visualize the infiltrate of eosinophils and the deposition of collagen, respectively, showed that both were much less intense in the acupuncture group. Corticosterone plasma levels were similar in all groups. Conclusion: Point-specific acupuncture treatment effectively reduced the inflammatory process and the deposition of collagen around ovalbumin-Sepharose beads intravenously embolized to the lungs of rats previously sensitized with the same protein that was administered subcutaneously.
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