Cardiopathy is a common, irreversible manifestation of the chronic phase of Chagas disease; however, there is controversy as to how the causes for progression from the acute to the chronic phase are defined. In this work, the presence of the parasite is correlated with the occurrence of cell infiltration and fibrosis in cardiac tissues, as well as IgG detection and disease progression in a murine model. Fifty CD1 mice were infected intraperitoneally with , while 30 control were administered with saline solution.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGastric ulcers are a worldwide health problem and their poor healing is one of the most important causes for their recurrence. We have previously reported the remarkable gastroprotective and anti- activities of the methanolic extract (CpMet) of bark. This work investigates, in a murine model, the CpMet gastroprotective mechanism and establishes its preclinical efficacy in the resolution of ethanol-induced gastric ulcers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrevious studies have shown that following peripheral nerve injury there was a downregulation of the gap junction protein connexin 36 (Cx36) in the spinal cord; however, it is not known whether Cx36 protein is expressed in the dorsal root ganglia (DRGs), nor if its levels are altered following peripheral nerve injuries. Here we address these aspects in the adult rat lumbar DRG. Cx36 mRNA was detected using qRT-PCR, and Cx36 protein was identified in DRG sections using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF).
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