The anticancer drug tamoxifen is active against Trypanosoma cruzi in vitro but ineffective in the treatment of the acute phase of Chagas disease in mice

• Published in: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz Vol. 105; no. 7; pp. 945 - 948
• Main Authors: Miguel, Danilo Ciccone, Ferraz, Marcela Lencine, de Oliveira Alves, Rosana, Yokoyama-Yasunaka, Jenicer K.U, Torrecilhas, Ana Claudia, Romanha, Alvaro José, Uliana, Silvia R.B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz 01-11-2010; Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde; Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ)
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Animals; Chagas disease; Chagas Disease - drug therapy; chemotherapy; chemotherapy - Chagas disease - selective oestrogen receptor modulator; Female; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Parasitemia - drug therapy; PARASITOLOGY; selective oestrogen receptor modulator; Tamoxifen - therapeutic use; Treatment Failure; TROPICAL MEDICINE; Trypanocidal Agents - therapeutic use; Trypanosoma cruzi; Trypanosoma cruzi - drug effects; Chagas disease; chemotherapy; selective oestrogen receptor modulator
• ISSN: 1678-8060; 0074-0276; 1678-8060; 0074-0276
• DOI: 10.1590/S0074-02762010000700021

The activity of the antineoplastic drug tamoxifen was evaluated against
Trypanosoma cruzi . In vitro activity was determined against
epimastigote, trypomastigote and amastigote forms of CL14, Y and Y
benznidazole resistant T. cruzi strains. Regardless of the strain used,
the drug was active against all life-cycle stages of the parasite with
a half maximal effective concentration ranging from 0.7-17.9 μM.
Two experimental models of acute Chagas disease were used to evaluate
the in vivo efficacy of treatment with tamoxifen. No differences in
parasitemia and mortality were observed between control mock-treated
and tamoxifen-treated mice.