Cardiac autonomic dysfunction and neuroganglionitis in a rat model of chronic Chaga's disease

• Published in: Cardiovascular research 1992-04, Vol.26 (4), p.324-329
• Main Authors: Junqueira, Luiz F, Beraldo, Paulo S S, Chapadeiro, Edmundo, Jesus, Paulo C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Atropine - pharmacology; baroreflex bradycardia; Blood Pressure - drug effects; Bradycardia - chemically induced; cardiac parasympathetic dysfunction; Chagas Disease - pathology; Chagas Disease - physiopathology; Disease Models, Animal; Ganglia, Autonomic - pathology; Ganglia, Autonomic - physiopathology; Heart Rate - drug effects; Male; Myocardium - pathology; neuroganglionitis; Parasympathetic Nervous System - physiopathology; Phenylephrine - pharmacology; rat model of Chagas' disease; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; T cruzi
• ISSN: 0008-6363; 1755-3245
• DOI: 10.1093/cvr/26.4.324

Objective: The aim was to evaluate whether the cardiac parasympathetic function in a rat model of chronic Chagas' disease is impaired as in the human disease, and to correlate the functional state to histopathology of the intrinsic autonomic innervation of heart. Methods: 70 male Wistar rats 8 months infected with strains Y (n=22), Sao Felipe (n=18), and Colombia (n=30) of Trypanosoma cruzi, were compared with 20 age and sex matched non-infected controls. Baroreflex bradycardia was quantified after multiple bolus injections of phenylephrine (3 to 12 μg). For each rat studied a mean was obtained of the absolute and relative (Δ%) ratio (index) between the maximum heart rate decrease and the maximum systolic blood pressure increase. Results: For the relative index the means were smaller (p