Tumor Necrosis Factor Is a Therapeutic Target for Immunological Unbalance and Cardiac Abnormalities in Chronic Experimental Chagas’ Heart Disease

Figure 3

Anti-TNF administration reduces the frequency of TNFR1-expressing CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-cells in chronically Trypanosoma cruzi-infected mice. C57BL/6 mice infected with 100 bt of the Colombian T. cruzi strain were treated from 120 to 150 dpi and analyzed at 150 dpi. Frequency of TNFR1⁺ cells among CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-cells in the spleen [R1 (SSCxFSC) gated]. ^∗∗𝑃<0.01 and ^∗∗∗𝑃<0.001, T. cruzi-infected mice (saline injected or anti-TNF treated) compared to NI controls. ^##𝑃<0.01, anti-TNF-treated compared to saline-injected T. cruzi-infected mice. Bar represents the mean ± SD of the studied group (4 to 6 mice). These data represent two independent experiments.