Efficacy of continuous versus intermittent administration of nanoformulated benznidazole during the chronic phase of Trypanosoma cruzi Nicaragua infection in mice

Background Benznidazole and nifurtimox are effective drugs used to treat Chagas’ disease; however, their administration in patients in the chronic phase of the disease is still limited, mainly due to their limited efficacy in the later chronic stage of the disease and to the adverse effects related to these drugs. Objectives To evaluate the effect of low doses of nanoformulated benznidazole using a chronic model of Trypanosoma cruzi Nicaragua infection in C57BL/6J mice. Methods Nanoformulations were administered in two different schemes: one daily dose for 30 days or one dose every 7 days, 13 times. Results Both treatment schemes showed promising outcomes, such as the elimination of parasitaemia, a reduction in the levels of T. cruzi-specific antibodies and a reduction in T. cruzi-specific IFN-γ-producing cells, as well as an improvement in electrocardiographic alterations and a reduction in inflammation and fibrosis in the heart compared with untreated T. cruzi-infected animals. These results were also compared with those from our previous work on benznidazole administration, which was shown to be effective in the same chronic model. Conclusions In this experimental model, intermittently administered benznidazole nanoformulations were as effective as those administered continuously; however, the total dose administered in the intermittent scheme was lower, indicating a promising therapeutic approach to Chagas’ disease.