Antileishmanial Effects of Propolis Against Leishmania major In Vitro and In Vivo

Abstract

Background: Propolis is produced by honey bees from plants, buds, and exudates and as an antiseptic is used to treat several diseases, such as acne and wounds. Objectives: Due to some difficulty in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis, the aim of this study was to evaluate the propolis extract function against Leishmania major.Methods: Different concentrations (9.375, 18.75, 37.5, 75, 150, and 300 µg/mL) of both Ethanolic Extract of Propolis (EEP) and the standard drug (Glucantime) were prepared for the in vitro model, and then applied to the fixed number of promastigotes. The promastigotes were counted after 24, 48, and 72-h treatment. Then, the viability of promastigotes was tested by MTT after 72 h of treatment. Twenty mice with cutaneous leishmaniasis were divided into four groups for in vivo model, including a positive group (treatment with Glucantime), a negative group (without treatment), and two experimental groups (treatment with EEP 1% and 4%). The sizes of the ulcers were measured at the beginning of the experiment and weekly for four weeks. Results: The in vitro model indicated that both EEP and Glucantime reduced the number of promastigotes and the difference between EEP and Glucantime was not significant at concentrations 37.5, 75, 150, and 300 µg/mL. The in vivo model demonstrated that EEP 4% and Glucantime were similar and decreased the size of ulcers more significantly than the negative control and EEP 1% (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Propolis as an herbal drug had antileishmanial activity against Leishmania major in vitro and in vivo. We suggest using it for complementary treatment.

The Strong Anti-Kinetoplastid Properties of Bee Propolis: Composition and Identification of the Active Agents and Their Biochemical Targets

“…Tavakoli et al observed that the ethanolic extract of Iranian propolis inhibited the growth of promastigote forms of L. major, as well as the standard drug Glucantime (meglumine antimoniate) at concentrations >37.5 µg/mL in vitro (p > 0.05). More importantly, in a mouse model of cutaneous leishmaniasis (L. major), treatment with 4% ethanolic propolis extract (4 g extract plus 96 g vaseline-oserin) reduced the size of skin lesions with similar efficacy as Glucantime, the standard antileishmanial treatment in much of the world [138].…”

Evaluation of Antileishmanial Activities of a Peganum Harmala and Achillea Millefolium Essential oils and their combinations against Leishmania Infantum Promastigotes

“…It causes clinical signs from cutaneous form to the visceral form, fever, splenomegaly (enlargement of the spleen, manifested in the great majority of patients), hepatomegaly (enlargement of liver), pallor (caused by severe anemia), leucopenia (low white blood cell count), and weight loss (Gervazoni et al, 2020). Leishmania has two stages in its life cycle, including promastigote, and amastigote (Tavakoli et al, 2020).…”