Marcadores cardíacos em ratos (Rattus norvegicus) infectados experimentalmente por Toxocara canis

Abstract

With the aim of studying the changes promoted by larvae of Toxocara canis on the cardiac enzymes creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase MB fraction (CK-MB) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) from rats three months old, according to load infective and time, two groups were formed with 24 animals, 12 males and 12 females per group. The animals received 250 (Group I) and 1000 (Group II) eggs larvae of T. canis, orally. Another group, consisting of 12 animals, six of each sex served as controls. On day seven, 15, 30, 60, 120 and 180 post-infection was performed in each moment, the euthanasia of four animals from each of the two experimental groups and control group. Blood samples were collected by puncturing the caudal vena cava. The peaks of enzyme activity measured in animals infected with 250 eggs preceded those of animals that received 1000 eggs. It can be concluded that the lower the infective load faster is to increase the activity of enzymes used as markers and cardiac changes are more precocious in other tissues as compared to the heart muscle.