Melatonin: Antioxidant and modulatory properties in age-related changes during Trypanosoma cruzi infection.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of melatonin on selected biomarkers of innate and humoral immune response as well as the antioxidant/oxidant status (superoxide dismutase-SOD and reduced glutathione levels (GSH) to understand whether age-related changes would influence the development of acute Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) infection. Young- (5 weeks) and middle-aged (18 months) Wistar rats were orally treated with melatonin (gavage) (05 mg/kg/day), 9 days after infection.