Evaluation of the in vivo and in vitro effect of Libidibia ferrea on Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis

Resumo

Currently, the therapeutic arsenal available for the treatment of leishmaniasis is limited. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo antileishmanial efficacy of the methanolic extract and dichloromethane fraction of Libidibia ferrea (DCM). To achieve this goal, the cytotoxicity of these extracts was determined in in vitro assays. Subsequently, its effects on a Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis infection of macrophages were evaluated. In vivo studies were performed with golden hamsters infected with L. (L.) amazonensis, which were treated with a microemulsion containing DCM. Furthermore, this fraction was also evaluated in combination with Glucantime®. The extracts reduced macrophage infections and induced reversal of IL-6 suppression in infected cells. There was a significant reduction in the volume of the lesion in the animals treated intralesionally with the combination of DCM+20 mg/SbV/kg/day. Taken together, the results obtained show that L. ferrea extracts (DCM) were not cytotoxic to macrophages and limited macrophage infection. The microemulsion containing the dichloromethane fraction of L. ferrea enhanced the curative effects of Glucantime®