Pires J G, Pereira F E
Departamentos de Ciências Fisiológicas e Patologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brasil.
Braz J Med Biol Res. 1987;20(3-4):445-7.
Cardiac autonomic denervation has been reported to occur in experimental T. cruzi infection. We used isoproterenol (IP) to investigate the in vitro chronotropic sensitivity of atrial beta-adrenoceptors from mice acutely (30 days) or chronically (180 days) infected with T. cruzi, CL strain (a myotropic strain). Displacement of the dose-response curve to IP to the right occurred in the acute phase group. In the chronic phase group the opposite effect occurred (hyperreactivity to IP) although to a lesser extent. These results suggest that infection of mice with this strain of T. cruzi induces quantitative or qualitative changes in atrial beta-adrenoceptors.
