Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by members of the Leishmania genus of parasitic protozoa that cause different clinical manifestations of the disease. Current treatment options for the cutaneous disease are limited due to severe side effects, poor efficacy, limited availability or accessibility, and developing resistance. Essential oils may provide low cost and readily available treatment options for leishmaniasis. In-vitro screening of a collection of 52 commercially available essential oils has been carried out against promastigotes of Leishmania amazonensis. In addition, cytotoxicity has been determined for the essential oils against mouse peritoneal macrophages in order to determine selectivity. Promising essential oils were further screened against intracellular L. amazonensis amastigotes. Three essential oils showed notable antileishmanial activities: frankincense (Boswellia spp.), coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), and wintergreen (Gualtheria fragrantissima Wall.) with IC50 values against the amastigotes of 22.1 ± 4.2, 19.1 ± 0.7, and 22.2 ± 3.5 μg/mL and a selectivity of 2, 7, and 6, respectively. These essential oils could be explored as topical treatment options for cutaneous leishmaniasis.
Highlights
IntroductionLeishmaniasis is a collection of parasitic diseases caused by several Leishmania species [1,2]
Leishmaniasis is a collection of parasitic diseases caused by several Leishmania species [1,2].The disease is transmitted by several members of Phlebotominae sand flies
A total of 52 commercially-available essential oils were screened for in-vitro antileishmanial activity against the promastigote form of L. amazonensis, as well as for cytotoxic activity against mouse peritoneal macrophages, the host cells for the amastigote form of the parasite
Summary
Leishmaniasis is a collection of parasitic diseases caused by several Leishmania species [1,2]. The disease is transmitted by several members of Phlebotominae sand flies. The genera Lutzomyia (New World) and Phlebotomus (Old World) are the only hematophagous vectors of the diseases. Leishmaniasis is considered by the World Health Organization to be a neglected tropical disease [3]. Depending on the Leishmania species, the disease can manifest itself in three main forms: cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral. There are currently around 12–15 million people worldwide infected by Leishmania spp. with an estimated 350 million people at risk of acquiring leishmaniasis. At the present time, there are no vaccines or prophylactic medicines available to prevent the disease
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