In Vivo Trypanocidal Activity of the Drug Disulfiram Combined with Benznidazole

Chagas disease is a significant public health problem with benznidazole (BZ) and nifurtimox being the only available treatments. This study evaluated the trypanocidal activity of disulfiram (DS) in Swiss mice infected with the Y and VL-10 <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i> strains. DS was tested alone or in combination with BZ at different doses for 20 consecutive days during the acute or chronic phase of the infection. Parasitological cure, inflammation in the heart and colon, and serum nitric oxide levels were assessed; in Y strain-infected animals, liver oxidative damage was also evaluated, while in VL-10-infected animals, parasitemia, survival rate, and collagen formation were analyzed. The combination of BZ + DS (100 mg/kg +50 mg/kg) induced 50% parasitological cure, reduced cardiac inflammation in Y strain infection, and decreased cardiac fibrosis in VL-10 strain infection. However, the results suggest a limited adjuvant effect of disulfiram, warranting further investigation.