Journal
PARASITOLOGY RESEARCH
Volume 106, Issue 6, Pages 1293-1298Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s00436-010-1794-1
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Funding
- Unites States National Institute of Health [CA123334, AI062730, AI076248]
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq)
- Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Ensino Superior (CAPES)
- FIOC-RUZ
- FAPERJ
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Infection with Trypanosoma cruzi causes megasyndromes of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in humans and animals. In the present study, we employed magnetic resonance imaging to non-invasively monitor the effect of selenium supplementation on alterations in the GI tract of T. cruzi-infected mice. CD1 mice infected with T. cruzi (Brazil strain) exhibited dilatation of the intestines similar to that we recently reported in infected C57Bl/6 mice. The average intestine lumen diameter increased by 65% and the increase was reduced to 29% in mice supplemented with 2 ppm selenium in the drinking water. When supplemented with 3 ppm selenium in chow the lumen diameter was also significantly reduced although the difference between the infected and infected supplemented mice was smaller. Intestinal motility in infected mice fed with selenium-enriched chow was increased compared with infected mice fed with normal unsupplemented chow and was not significantly different from intestinal motility in uninfected mice. We suggest that Se may be used to modulate the inflammatory, immunological, and/or antioxidant responses involved in intestinal disturbances caused by T. cruzi infection.
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