In vitro and in vivo susceptibility of Leishmania major to some medicinal plants

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of some medicinal plants and systemic glucantime in a comparative manner against the causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis both in vitro and in BALB/c mice. Methods: For in vivo testing, inbred mice were challenged with Leishmania major parasites and the resultant ulcers were treated with extract based-ointments applied topically two times per day for a period of 20 days. A group of 56 mice were randomly divided into 7 subgroups. The control group received the ointment void of extracts, whereas the reference group received glucantime only. The efficacy of treatments was evaluated by measuring ulcer diameter, parasite burden and NO production. Results: Our results indicated that plant extract based-ointments were effective in reducing ulcer size and parasite burden in spleens, but their effects did not differ significantly from that of glucantime. The plant extracts tested in this study were able to increase NO production that helped parasite suppression. Conclusions:Our findings indicate that the tested plant extracts are effective against Leishmania major both during in vitro and in vivo experiments, but further researches are required to recommend a potential plant extract as an alternative drug.

Herbal Drugs with Promising Anti-Leishmanial Activity: New Hope for Leishmaniasis Treatment

“…Maleki et al's in vivo experiments showed that some plant extracts are effective against Leishmania major; the plant extracts in this research were able to increase the level of NO that suppressed the parasite (22). In vivo antileishmanial effects of Pistacia khinjuk (Anacardiaceae) alcoholic extract on Leishmania tropica and Leishmania major was shown by Ezatpour et al The extract increased NO production (17).…”

“…The experiments done by Maes et al showed that Triterpenoid Saponin Extract (PX-6518) from the Plant Maesa balansae had promising in vivo anti-leishmanial potential against Species of visceral Leishmania in BALB/c mouse model, and 80% reduction of liver amastigote burden was reported (25). The results of another research indicated that plant extract based-ointments were effective in decreasing ulcer size in inbred mice infected with Leishmaniamajor and could increase production of NO that is needed for stoping parasite propagation (22). Nilforoushzadeh et al reported that Thymus vulgaris, Achillea millefolium, and propolis extracts had effective property in treatment of mice that were infected with Cutaneous leishmaniasis and the extracts were significantly effective in decreasing ulcer size (26).…”

Leishmaniose E Plantas Medicinais: Uma Revisão

“…A leishmaniose é uma zoonose causada por parasitos do gênero Leishmania que infectam diversas células do organismo humano e desencadeiam uma série de alterações clínicas (KAYE; SCOTT, 2011), que vão desde alterações cutâneas até o comprometimento de órgão vitais, com o baço, fígado e medula óssea (MALEKI et al, 2016;MANS et al, 2016).…”

“…A leishmaniose, segundo a Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS), é uma das mais negligenciadas doenças tropicais re-emergentes, sendo reportada em várias partes do globo, com uma prevalência de aproximadamente 12 milhões de casos, em 98 países e incidência de leishmaniose cutânea (LC) e visceral de 1,5 a 2 milhões e 500 mil novos casos por ano, respectivamente (LIMA et al, 2015;MALEKI et al, 2016). Cerca de 350 milhões de pessoas correm risco de contrair a infecção (HUBERT et al, 2013;MANS et al, 2016), que apresenta mais de 20 mil mortes em decorrência direta da doença anualmente (BAPELA; KAISER; MEYER, 2017).…”

“…Cerca de 350 milhões de pessoas correm risco de contrair a infecção (HUBERT et al, 2013;MANS et al, 2016), que apresenta mais de 20 mil mortes em decorrência direta da doença anualmente (BAPELA; KAISER; MEYER, 2017). Clinicamente, observa-se um amplo espectro de manifestações, que vão desde úlceras cutâneas, lesões em mucosas e em órgãos viscerais, como por exemplo o baço, fígado e medula óssea (MALEKI et al, 2016;MANS et al, 2016).…”