Histologic and histomorphometric study of bone repair under acute Trypanosoma cruzi infection in rats

Trypanosoma cruzi (T cruzi) is an intracellular protozoan pathogen that causes American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease). The aim of this study was to evaluate the histopathological effects of acute infection by T. cruzi on bone repair, Wistar rats were used throughout. The animals were assigned to two groups: Control Group (CG n =20) and Experimental Group (EG n = 20). All the animals were anesthetized, at to the first lower right molar was extracted. The EG animals were inoculated subcutaneously at to with 0.1 mL of 10 trypomastigotes of the virulent strain Tulahuen of T. cruzi. The CG animals were administered an equivalent volume ofsaline solution subcutaneously. The animals in both groups were euthanized at 15 days post-infection and tooth extraction. The mandibles were resected, fixed informalin solution, radiographed, decalcified and embedded in paraffin. Bucco-lingually oriented sections were obtained at the level of the mesial tooth socket of the first lower molar and stained with hematoxylin-eosin. Total alveolar volume (TV) and bone volume (TBV/TV) in the apical third of the tooth socket were evaluated histomorphometrically. The histological analysis revealed an alteration in post-extraction bone tissue repair in animals infected by T. cruzi. A reduction in osteogenic activity was observed concomitant with a rise in quiescent and eroded bone surfaces. Histomorphometric evaluation revealed a significant reduction (19%) in total alveolar volume (TV) and bone volume (TBV/TV) (24%) in the apical third of the tooth socket in animals infected with T. cruzi in comparison to non-infected animals (p<0.05). The results obtained using this experimental model showed decreased osteogenesis in bone tissue repair under acute Trypanosoma cruzi infection in rats.