A review of the application of nanoparticles in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis
A review of the application of nanoparticles in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis
Zohreh Rahimi,1Faride Khanabadi,2Taher Elmi,3,*
1. Department of Laboratory Sciences, Babol Branch, Islamic Azad University, Babol, Iran 2. Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran 3. Assistant Professor of Medical Parasitology, Arak University of Medical Sciences
Introduction: Introduction: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) caused by Leishmania spp. is the most significant endemic disease in Iran, with nearly 20,000 new cases of CL reported annually. Unfortunately, despite the substantial prevalence of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Iran, there is still no adequate method for prevention, control, or treatment. Moreover, the development of disfiguring and long-lasting sores on various parts of the body, such as the face, and the potential for secondary infections make the treatment of this disease even more essential. Although pentavalent antimonial compounds remain the first-line treatment for this disease, they present several limitations, including severe side effects, the need for daily injections, and drug resistance. Consequently, the use of nanocomposite drugs in the treatment of this disease has garnered significant attention from researchers. The present study aims to review the effects of nanoparticles studied in relation to leishmaniasis.
Methods: Materials and Methods: In this study, data collection was carried out using keywords related to the role of nanoparticles in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis, such as "Cutaneous leishmaniasis", "Leishmania major", "In vivo", "In vitro", "nanoparticles" and "treatment" in the PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus, Embase, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Wiley databases.
Results: Findings: The review of various studies indicated that some nanoparticles, including Gold, Silver, Cobalt Oxide, Chromium Oxide, Nickel Oxide, and Bimetallic Gold-Silver, showed significant effects for reducing the symptoms of cutaneous leishmaniasis. For example, ON-AuNPs were found active against Leishmania tropica (KMH23) promastigotes (IC50= 12.56 and 21.52 μg/mL) and amastigotes (IC50= 17.44 and 42.20 μg/mL). Also, Silver nanoparticles produced with the aqueous extract of Zingiber officinale reduced Leishmania major amastigotes at an IC50 of 2.35 ppm. In another study, results showed that silver nanoparticles coated with curcumin demonstrated strong anti-leishmanial activity with an IC50 of 58.99 µg/mL against promastigotes and an EC50 of 58.99 µg/mL against amastigotes, as well as the Nickel oxide (using floral extracts of Callistemon viminalis) and zinc oxide (leaf extracts of Elaeagnus angustifolia) nanoparticles reduced L. tropica promastigotes at IC50 values of 37 and 24.9 (μg·mL −1) , respectively.
Conclusion: Conclusion: Unlike typical drugs with high side effects and low efficacy using in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis, studies have shown that nanoparticles can be useful in treating this disease, with low toxicity and high efficacy.