Evaluation of farnesol orally and topically against experimental cutaneous leishmaniasis: In -vivo analysis

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a zoonotic disease transmitted by an obligate intra-macrophage protozoan of the genus Leishmania through the infective bite of a vector sandfly. This study investigated the therapeutic efficacy of farnesol, a sesquiterpene compound, for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) using in vivo BALB/c mouse model. In this study, farnesol’s efficacy was compared with the standard drug, paromomycin. It was observed that farnesol significantly reduced lesion sizes and footpad thickness compared to the control group (paromomycin). Lymph node size was also significantly reduced in farnesol-treated mice, indicating its ability to control infection spread. Combination therapy with farnesol and Paromomycin did not demonstrate synergistic effects. These results highlight the potential of farnesol as an alternative therapeutic agent for CL. Further investigations are required to elucidate its mechanism of action and assess potential off-target effects. Optimization of oral delivery methods should be explored to enhance bioavailability. Overall, our findings support farnesol’s efficacy in CL treatment, offering promising prospects for improved disease management.

Could natural terpenes be an alternative for the treatment of neglected tropical diseases?

“…(Rottini et al., 2015). Compounds 31 , 32 , and 33 have biological action against various parasites affecting human health (Table 3) (de Menezes et al., 2019; Hajaji et al., 2018; Owens, 2015; Sharma et al., 2023). These findings highlight the potential of terpenes as therapeutic agents against E. multilocularis and E. granulosus and suggest their efficacy in targeting different stages of the parasite's life cycle.…”