CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Flavonoids are compounds widely distributed among plants with anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antithrombotic, anti-allergic, anti-cancer and antioxidant activities. Recently, we have demonstrated the in vitro leishmanicidal activity of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) of Camellia sinensis (green tea). The present study addressed the anti-leishmanial activity of EGCG alone or combined with meglumine antimoniate (MA) in a Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis-BALB/c model. Mice were infected in the right ear with promastigotes and the treatments were initiated at day 42 post-infection. The animals were given topical and intraperitoneal (I) treatment with EGCG and MA, respectively. Drugs were administered daily during 21 days, either separately or in combination following different protocols; a) control group receiving an hydrophilic cream, b) cream containing 15% of EGCG, c) MA (120 mg Sbv/kg/d) and d) cream with 15% of EGCG combined with MA (I). Treatment efficacy was assessed by measuring the lesion size weekly and by determining the parasite load with limiting dilution assay. In addition, determinations of serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT) and serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) as well as the histopathological analysis were carried out. Lesion sizes after infection of BALB/c mice were similar in all the experimental groups till the onset of therapeutic treatments. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found in the lesion sizes and the parasite burden of mice treated with EGCG, MA as well as in mice treated with EGCG combined with MA compared with the control group at the end of the treatments. Treated mice showed normal levels of GPT and GOT and no histological alterations were observed in the livers. The results of this study demonstrate the in vivo anti-leishmanial activity of EGCG as monotherapy or combined with MA. The efficacy of these therapies against other Leishmania strains should be explored further.

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