Leishmaniasis: Plants as a source of antileishmanial agents

Abstract

Leishmania infection causes a group of tropical diseases and has remained neglected for decades. It spreads by sandfly vector and is one of the most fatal protozoan diseases after malaria. Leishmaniases are a group of diseases caused by the infection of different Leishmania species and display clinically different forms like “Visceral leishmaniasis” (VL), “mucocutaneous leishmaniasis” and “cutaneous leishmaniasis” (CL). Approximately one billion people living in an endemic area are at high risk. Three hundred thousand cases of VL are reported annually and around twenty thousand people die every year, proving it as one of the most lethal forms of leishmaniasis. Until now, no effective vaccine could be made. There is an increase in drug resistance in the case of conventional drugs. New synthetic drugs are either too costly or have side effects. Requirements of new drugs are of utmost importance to control this situation. Plants provide a source of unlimited chemical diversity, which can be screened for antileishmanial activities. Moreover, their low cost and less or no side effects make them idle candidates in the search of new antileishmanial drugs.