Melo, LilianCaldas, Ivo SantanaAzevedo, Maíra AraújoGonçalves, Karolina RibeiroNascimento, Alvaro Fernando da Silva doFigueiredo, Vivian PaulinoDiniz, Lívia de FigueiredoLima, Wanderson Geraldo deTorres, Rosália MoraisBahia, Maria TerezinhaSilva, André Talvani Pedrosa da2017-06-022017-06-022011MELO, L. et al. Low doses of Simvastatin therapy ameliorate cardiac inflammatory remodeling in Trypanosoma cruzi-Infected dogs. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, v. 84, p. 325-331, 2011. Disponível em: <http://www.ajtmh.org/content/84/2/325>. Acesso em: 19 fev. 2017.1476-1645http://www.repositorio.ufop.br/handle/123456789/7858Chagas cardiomyopathy remodeling is based on the presence of Trypanosoma cruzi in heart tissue and on the complex inflammatory response leading to a myocardium fibrosis and alterations in conductive and functional heart parameters. This study aims to evaluate Simvastatin on the inflammatory response and heart functionality using dogs infected with Y strain of T. cruzi . Animals were treated daily with Simvastatin (20 mg) for 6 months and submitted to clinical and immunopathological evaluations. Simvastatin reduced heart expression and serum levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) but not interleukin-10 (IL-10), possibly favoring blood parasitism but reducing inflammation and fibrosis in the left ventricle and right atrium. Simvastatin also ameliorated ejection fraction, diastolic diameter, and mass index of the left ventricle 6 months after infection. This study suggests that more investigation should be performed on the use of statins as a prophylactic therapy against cardiac remodeling because of their effects on modifying immune response and benefiting functional parameters in dogs with T. cruzi -induced ventricular dysfunctions.en-USrestritoArtigo publicado em periodicohttp://www.ajtmh.org/content/84/2/325https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.2011.10-0451