Investigation of the in vitro and in vivo therapeutic activity of Tarantula cubensis extract (Theranekron®) on Leishmania major.

Abstract

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a vector-borne parasitic disease caused by several species of the protozoan parasite Leishmania. The need for new anti-leishmanial drugs for the treatment of CL is highlighted by factors such as high cost, toxicity, potential for resistance and limited long-term use of existing anti-leishmanial drugs. The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of Tarantula cubensis alcoholic extract (TCE), which has been shown to have wound-healing, anti-inflammatory, regenerative, resolving and epithelialising effects, on L. major promastigotes in vitro and in vivo in an experimental mouse model of CL. The effect of TCE on L. major promastigotes in vitro was investigated after determination of non-cytotoxic concentrations of TCE using the XTT method. To establish a CL model, L. major amastigotes were injected into the paws of BALB/c mice. Lesion size and histopathological evaluation were used to assess the effect of treatment. TCE was found to be effective against L. major promastigotes at 24 h and 48 h at concentrations of 250 μg/mL, 125 μg/mL and 62.5 μg/mL (P<0.05). TCE was found to be more effective than meglumine antimonate in treating CL in the experimentally induced CL model in BALB/c mice. The results suggest that TCE holds promising potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of CL. However, further extensive investigations are required to substantiate and expand understanding in this area.