The ultrastructural changes ofLeishmania tropicaafter treatment with pentamidine

Contributions of Ultrastructural Studies to the Cell Biology of Trypanosmatids: Targets for Anti-Parasitic Drugs

“…In T. cruzi, some of the new compounds (classified as reversed amidines) presented a high level of activity against amastigotes and trypomastigotes both in vivo and in vitro [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. Ultrastructural analysis showed that the different aromatic diamines displayed similar effects in T. brucei, T cruzi and Leishmania, characterized by the presence of swollen mitochondria presenting low electron-density structures, fragmentation of the membrane and crista and mitochondrial disruption [12,13,18,20,23,24,[27][28][29][30][31][32].…”

“…Cationic drugs, such as crystal violet, which are used to prevent transfusion-associated Chagas disease and aromatic diamidines were the first drugs to be used in chemotherapy against pathogenic trypanosomatids [11][12][13][14][15]. The effect of crystal violet on T. cruzi is due to enhancement of production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that inhibit mitochondrial respiration and cause its swelling, which is more intense in trypomastigotes [14].…”

“…Aromatic diamidines, such as pentamidine, caused remarkable changes in the flagellar pocket of amastigotes from L. tropica [12] and trypomastigotes of T. rhodesiense [119]. The flagellar pockets were frequently dilated and filled with double membrane-bound bodies that budded from the flagellar pocket membrane.…”

Recent Trends in the Treatment of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

“…28 Others have also attributed the observed hypotension, tachycardia and electrocardiographic changes in T waves to its cardiotoxicity. 25 …”

“…It acts against Leishmania by damaging the kinetoplast DNA-mitochondria complex. 25 It is effective against all forms of leishmaniasis, with the exception of DCL. 26,27 This drug acts more slowly against Leishmania than PVAs, and short courses have been associated with a high relapse rate.…”