Depletion of heart norepinephrine in experimental acute myocarditis caused by Trypanosoma cruzi
Machado, A.B.; Machado, C.R.; Gomes, C.B.
Experientia 31(10): 1202-1203
1975
ISSN/ISBN: 0014-4754 PMID: 812724 Document Number: 84310
The mean cardiac norepinephrine level in control rats was 0.37 mu g/g. In rats 8, 12 and 15 days, after intraperitoneal injection of 300,000 Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigotes it was 0.46, 0.18 and 0.045 mu g/g respectively. Norepinephrine was undetectable in hearts 18, 22 and 32 days after inoculation. At day 8 when the norepinephrine level was still normal, study of heart muscle cells revealed a heavy parasitism with leishmanial forms of T. cruzi. Decrease in heart norepinephrine levels coincided with the development of myocarditis during which adrenergic neurones were probably destroyed.