Enzymatic markers of heart lesion in mice infected with Trypanosoma cruzi and submitted to benznidazole chemotherapy.

Creatine kinase (CK total and CK-MB) were studied as markers of lesion progression induced by Trypanosoma cruzi infection. After 3 weeks mice infected with 10(4) parasites showed an increase in both enzyme levels and in their frequency distribution. A trend to increase was already detected in the 2nd week. A short duration per os treatment with benznidazole (Bz) prevented the occurrence of tissue lesions, since no changes were observed in enzymes. However, in the 4th week, about 40% of Bz-treated mice showed an increase in CK-MB, as did those that survived until the 8th week. Long-term treatment with Bz in drinking water of mice infected with 10(2) parasites showed, after 32 weeks, a partial reversion of the occurrence of high CK-MB levels from 85.7% to 50%. We found a positive correlation between inflammatory infiltrates and CK-MB levels, indicating that this marker could be useful to monitor the occurrence of experimental chagasic myocarditis.