THE IN VIVO EFFECT OF NATURAL COMPOUNDS ON LEISHMANIA (L.) AMAZONENSIS

LOZANO, E.; CIFUENTES, D.; GERMANÓ, MJ; CARGNELUTTI, DE.; TRONCOSO M.

SAN LUIS

Congreso; XXXVII Reunión Científica Anual de la Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo,; 2019

The leishmaniasis is a spectrum of diseases caused by infection with protozoan pathogens of the Leishmania genus, with an estimated 2 million new cases per annum. Leishmania parasites are transmitted to a mammalian host via the bite of an infected sand fly. The clinical forms of the disease (cutaneous, mucocutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis) depend on the species of Leishmania involved. In Argentina, affects the northern region of the country with an incidence that has increased over the last two decades. Current treatments for leishmaniasis are unsatisfactory due to high associated toxicity, cost, complex administration, and the emergence of resistant strains. Efforts have greatly increased over the last decade to identify novel compounds with anti-leishmanial properties. Thus, one strategy in the search for new compounds is the screening of molecules purified from plant sources. Terpenes appear as good candidates, because they are abundant in the plant kingdom and some of them have shown a significant activity against trypanosomatids. The terpenes 5-epi-icetexone (ICTX) and Abietane (HABTO), isolated from Salvia gilliessi, are effective against T. cruzi and Leishmania spp in vitro. We evaluated the effect of ICTX and HABTO in an in vivo model of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Male BALB/c mice were infected in the right footpad with 1x105 promastigotes of L (L.) amazonensis and localy treated, once a week for 4 weeks, with 1 mg/animal/day of ICTX or HABTO. We observed that the treatment with the compounds decreases footpad swelling compared to the controls. This is related to the significant decrease in parasite load, splenic index, and IgG levels observed with every treatment. Although many more analysis should be made, these natural compounds could be effective to treat cutaneous leishmaniasis. *BIOCELL ESTA EN PROCESO DE EDICIÓN.