Caracterização do trânsito gastrintestinal e atuação da acupuntura sistêmica em ratos infectados com Strongyloides venezuelensis

Abstract

Intestinal helminth infections represent a serious public health problem worldwide, given the large number of parasites and parasitism. However, they are considered neglected because of absent high mortality, despite the significant morbidity. Strongyloidiasis appear to alter the motility of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in a way that is not yet fully understood. Currently, Western medicine has search for alternatives treatments becoming less invasive with fewer side effects. Therefore, acupuncture gained notoriety by many scientific studies that have confirmed its effects. Several studies focusing on the TGI proved that activation of somato-autonomic pathways through points such as E36 and VC12, is responsible for the effect of acupuncture on motility. Thus, this study was divided into 3 stages: a) To evaluate the gastrointestinal transit after infection with different loads of S. venezuelensis (400, 2000, 10000 larvae) in rats; b)To analyze the effect of acupuncture on gastrointestinal transit of infected rats with 2000 larvae of S. venezuelensis. The strains of S. venezuelensis were kept in gerbils, of which the feces were submitted to fecal culture and subsequent recovery by Baerman-Morais method. After larvae counting, the infection groups were established, and previous measures of gastrointestinal motility and stool weight were performed so that the animals could be controls themselves. The parasitological parameters (eggs per gram of feces, number of worms and fecundity), gastrointestinal motility and stool weight were collected from 3/3 days, and at 21 dpi the animals were killed by decapitation. For acupuncture experiments, electroacupuncture sessions were made for 20 min, at the same established days, in E36, VC12 acupoints and Sham (not acupoint, control). There was a significant decrease on stool weight at 9 dpi, recovered in 18 dpi. For infection with lower load (400L) faster gastric emptying was associated with increased fertility, while the slower gastrointestinal transit was negatively correlated with EPG. On the other hand, the group 2000L presents gastric emptying obtained a positive correlation with the worms. Surprisingly, only one correlation was found in the group 10000L between gastric emptying and food arrival of the cecum. The increase in parasitic load reduces the correlation between the parasitological parameters and the gastrointestinal transit profile, and apparently the motors losses remain even after the end of the infection. The treatment at acupoint ST36 resulted in a lower egg count during the experiment, but a greater number of worms at the end of 21 dpi with high fecundity, while the VC12 caused a higher peak oviposition, slowed intestinal transit and accelerated the gastric emptying. So, the treatment of S. venezuelensis infections with acupuncture should be performed with caution in endemic areas for strongyloidiasis, since has benefits for host and parasit.