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Jesus JA, Fragoso TN, Yamamoto ES, Laurenti MD, Silva MS, Ferreira AF, Lago JHG, Santos-Gomes G, Passero LFD. Therapeutic effect of ursolic acid in experimental visceral leishmaniasis. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2017; 7:1-11. [PMID: 27984757 PMCID: PMC5156607 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2016.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2016] [Accepted: 12/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is an important neglected tropical disease, affecting more than 12 million people worldwide. The available treatments are not well tolerated and present diverse side effects in patients, justifying the search for new therapeutic compounds. In the present study, the therapeutic potential and toxicity of ursolic acid (UA), isolated from the leaves of Baccharis uncinella C. DC. (Asteraceae), were evaluated in experimental visceral leishmaniasis. To evaluate the therapeutic potential of UA, hamsters infected with L. (L.) infantum were treated daily during 15 days with 1.0 or 2.0 mg UA/kg body weight, or with 5.0 mg amphotericin B/kg body weight by intraperitoneal route. Fifteen days after the last dose, the parasitism of the spleen and liver was stimated and the main histopathological alterations were recorded. The proliferation of splenic mononuclear cells was evaluated and IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-10 gene expressions were analyzed in spleen fragments. The toxicity of UA and amphotericin B were evaluated in healthy golden hamsters by histological analysis and biochemical parameters. Animals treated with UA had less parasites in the spleen and liver when compared with the infected control group, and they also showed preservation of white and red pulps, which correlate with a high rate of proliferation of splenic mononuclear cells, IFN-γ mRNA and iNOS production. Moreover, animals treated with UA did not present alterations in the levels of AST, ALT, creatinine and urea. Taken together, these findings indicate that UA is an interesting natural compound that should be considered for the development of prototype drugs against visceral leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jéssica A Jesus
- Laboratory of Pathology of Infectious Diseases (LIM50), Department of Pathology, Medical School of São Paulo University, Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 455. Cerqueira César, São Paulo, 01246-903, SP, Brazil; Center of Natural Sciences and Humanities, Federal University of ABC, Santo Andre, São Paulo, 09210-180, Brazil
| | - Thais N Fragoso
- Laboratory of Pathology of Infectious Diseases (LIM50), Department of Pathology, Medical School of São Paulo University, Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 455. Cerqueira César, São Paulo, 01246-903, SP, Brazil
| | - Eduardo S Yamamoto
- Laboratory of Pathology of Infectious Diseases (LIM50), Department of Pathology, Medical School of São Paulo University, Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 455. Cerqueira César, São Paulo, 01246-903, SP, Brazil
| | - Márcia D Laurenti
- Laboratory of Pathology of Infectious Diseases (LIM50), Department of Pathology, Medical School of São Paulo University, Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 455. Cerqueira César, São Paulo, 01246-903, SP, Brazil
| | - Marcelo S Silva
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal; Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Rua General Gustavo Cordeiro de Farias, 384, 59012-570 Natal, Brazil
| | - Aurea F Ferreira
- Laboratory of Pathology of Infectious Diseases (LIM50), Department of Pathology, Medical School of São Paulo University, Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 455. Cerqueira César, São Paulo, 01246-903, SP, Brazil
| | - João Henrique G Lago
- Center of Natural Sciences and Humanities, Federal University of ABC, Santo Andre, São Paulo, 09210-180, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Santos-Gomes
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Rua General Gustavo Cordeiro de Farias, 384, 59012-570 Natal, Brazil
| | - Luiz Felipe D Passero
- São Paulo State University (Unesp), Institute of Biosciences, São Vicente, Praça Infante Dom Henrique, s/n, 11330-900 São Vicente, SP, Brazil.
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Loría-Cervera EN, Andrade-Narváez FJ. Animal models for the study of leishmaniasis immunology. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo 2014; 56:1-11. [PMID: 24553602 PMCID: PMC4085833 DOI: 10.1590/s0036-46652014000100001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2013] [Accepted: 05/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis remains a major public health problem worldwide and is
classified as Category I by the TDR/WHO, mainly due to the absence of control. Many
experimental models like rodents, dogs and monkeys have been developed, each with
specific features, in order to characterize the immune response to
Leishmania species, but none reproduces the pathology observed in
human disease. Conflicting data may arise in part because different parasite strains
or species are being examined, different tissue targets (mice footpad, ear, or base
of tail) are being infected, and different numbers (“low” 1×102 and “high”
1×106) of metacyclic promastigotes have been inoculated. Recently, new
approaches have been proposed to provide more meaningful data regarding the host
response and pathogenesis that parallels human disease. The use of sand fly saliva
and low numbers of parasites in experimental infections has led to mimic natural
transmission and find new molecules and immune mechanisms which should be considered
when designing vaccines and control strategies. Moreover, the use of wild rodents as
experimental models has been proposed as a good alternative for studying the
host-pathogen relationships and for testing candidate vaccines. To date, using
natural reservoirs to study Leishmania infection has been
challenging because immunologic reagents for use in wild rodents are lacking. This
review discusses the principal immunological findings against
Leishmania infection in different animal models highlighting the
importance of using experimental conditions similar to natural transmission and
reservoir species as experimental models to study the immunopathology of the
disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elsy Nalleli Loría-Cervera
- Centro de Investigaciones Regionales "Dr. Hideyo Noguchi", MéridaYucatán, México, Centro de Investigaciones Regionales "Dr. Hideyo Noguchi", Mérida, Yucatán, México
| | - Fernando José Andrade-Narváez
- Centro de Investigaciones Regionales "Dr. Hideyo Noguchi", MéridaYucatán, México, Centro de Investigaciones Regionales "Dr. Hideyo Noguchi", Mérida, Yucatán, México
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