Depot Subcutaneous Injection with Chalcone CH8-Loaded Poly(Lactic-Co-Glycolic Acid) Microspheres as a Single-Dose Treatment of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Conventional chemotherapy of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is based on multiple parenteral or intralesional injections with systemically toxic drugs. Aiming at a single-dose localized therapy, biodegradable poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles loaded with 7.8% of an antileishmanial nitrochalcone named CH8 (CH8/PLGA) were constructed to promote sustained subcutaneous release. In vitro, murine macrophages avidly phagocytosed CH8/PLGA smaller than 6 μm without triggering oxidative mechanisms. Upon 48 h of incubation, both CH8 and CH8/PLGA were 40 times more toxic to intracellular Leishmania amazonensis than to macrophages. In vivo, BALB/c were given one or three subcutaneous injections in the infected ear with 1.2 mg/kg of CH8 in free or CH8/PLGA forms, whereas controls received three CH8-equivalent doses of naked PLGA microparticles or meglumine antimoniate (Glucantime; Sanofi-Aventis). Although a single injection with CH8/PLGA reduced the parasite loads by 91%, triple injections with free CH8 or CH8/PLGA caused 80 and 97% reductions, respectively, in relation to saline controls. Meglumine antimoniate treatment was the least effective (only 36% reduction) and the most toxic, as indicated by elevated alanine aminotransferase serum levels. Together, these findings show that CH8/PLGA microparticles can be effectively and safely used for single-dose treatment of CL.

Ivermectin-derived leishmanicidal compounds

In the present study a family of macrocyclic and acyclic analogues as well as seco-analogues of avermectins were prepared from commercial Ivermectin (IVM) and their antileishmanial activity assayed against axenic promastigote and intracellular amastigote forms of Leishmania amazonensis. Contrarily to the filaricidal activity, the leishmanicidal potentiality of avermectin analogues does not appear to depend on the integrity of the non-conjugated Delta(3,4)-hexahydrobenzofuran moiety. Conjugated Delta(2,3)-IVM or its corresponding conjugated secoester show higher anti-leishmania activity than the parent compound. Surprisingly, the diglycosylated northern sub-unit exhibits the same anti-amastigote potentiality as the southern hexahydrobenzofuran. As expected for compounds derived from the widely used Ivermectin antibiotic, little toxicity has been noticed for most of the novel analogues prepared.

High selective leishmanicidal activity of 3-hydroxy-2-methylene-3-(4-bromophenyl)propanenitrile and analogous compounds

Sixteen not new aromatic compounds were prepared by one-pot reaction i.e. through Baylis-Hillman reaction and were the first time evaluated against promastigote Leishmania amazonensis and infected mammalian cells. Most of the compounds were selectively more active against amastigotes than the reference drug sodium stibogluconate (Pentostam, IC(50)=44.7 microM). We found that 3-hydroxy-2-methylene-3-(4-bromophenyl) propanenitrile (13) was the most active (IC(50)=12.5 microM) and safer compound (0.0 (0.9); % macrophage LDH release), being the lead compound.

Synthesis of chalcone analogues with increased antileishmanial activity

Eighteen analogues of an active natural chalcone were synthesized using xanthoxyline and some derivatives, and these analogues were tested for selective activity against both promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes of Leishmania amazonensis in vitro. Three analogues (10, 12, and 19) containing nitro, fluorine or bromine groups, respectively, displayed increased selective activity against the parasites as compared with the natural chalcone. The nitrosylated chalcone 10 was also tested intralesionally in infected mice and was found to be as effective as Pentostan reference drug at a dose 100 times higher than that of the chalcone in controlling both the lesion growth and the parasite burden.