Beneficial immunomodulatory and neuro digestive effect in Trypanosoma cruzi infection after Lycopodium clavatum 13c treatment

- L. clavatum 13c produced immunomodulatory action in rats infected with T. cruzi.
- Cytokine balance in treated animals was related with a bigger number of myenteric neurons.
- Treated animals presented neuron hypertrophy in distal and proximal colon.
- L. clavatum 13c reduced the pathogenic progression of digestive Chagas disease.

Studies show that highly diluted medications demonstrate benefits in treating infections, constituting an alternative for their treatment. The present study evaluated the effects of Lycopodium clavatum, dynamization 13c, in Wistar rats infected with T. cruzi. In this study 42 male rats were intraperitoneally inoculated with T. cruzi - Y strain and allocated into groups: IC (infected control group) and Ly (treated with L. clavatum 13c). The cytokines dosage (IFN-γ, IL-12, IL-10, IL-4), quantification and morphometry of myenteric neurons were evaluated. The treatment with L. clavatum modifies the immune response, with increase of IFN-γ on day 10 a.i. and IL-12 on day 24 a.i., decrease of IL-10 concentration on day 10 a.i. and subsequent increase of this cytokine and IL-4 on day 24 a.i., affording a bigger number of myenteric neurons compared to IC group. Thus, L. clavatum 13c promoted on rats infected with T. cruzi a beneficial immunomodulatory action reducing the pathogenic progression of digestive Chagas disease.

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