ABSTRACT

       Background and Objective: Leishmania major is a flagellate protozoan parasite causing cutaneous leishmaniasis. Although pentavalent antimony compounds are the first-line drugs for leishmaniasis, their application is often accompanied by numerous limitations and side effects. Therefore, it is necessary to seek drugs of herbal origin that have fast-acting benefits and few side effects without resistance. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro effects of methanolic extract of Arctiul lappa root on promastigotes and amastigotes of L. major.

       Methods: This experimental study evaluated the effects of 10, 100, 500, and 1000 µg/ml of A. lappa root methanol extract on L. major promastigotes using direct cell counting and MTT assay. The mean number of amastigotes in infected macrophages was calculated after 24 and 48 hours.

       Results: The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of A. lappa root methanolic extract was 131.25 µg/ml after 24 hours. The mean number of amastigotes in macrophages after 24 hours in the control group and in the A. lappa group with concentrations of 500 and 1000 µg/ml were 3.52, 2.02, and 1.27, respectively.

        Conclusion: The results show that the methanolic extract of A. lappa root has anti-leishmanial effects on the promastigotes and amastigotes of L. major in vitro.

        Keywords: Leishmania Major, Amastigotes, Promastigotes, Arctium.

ABSTRACT
         Background and Objectives: Due to adverse effects of pentavalent  antimonial  treatment of visceral leishmaniasis using herbal medicines has received a lot of attention. In this study, we evaluated inhibitory activity of Pelargonium roseum essential oil on growth of Leishmania infantum promastigotes, and compared it with that of Glucantime.
        Methods: Inhibitory effects of different concentrations (1, 2.5, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 µL/ml) of P. roseum essential oil on the growth of L. infantum promastigotes were studied by MTT assay after 24 and 48 hours. All the data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance. The effect of the essential oil was later compared with that of standard dose of Glucantime.
        Results: After 24 hours, different concentrations of the essential oil had no significant inhibitory effect on promastigotes of L. infantum. After 48 hours, all concentrations except for 1µL/ml showed significant anti-leishmanial activity. In addition, the lowest concentration that had significant inhibitory effect on L. infantum promastigote was 5 µL/ml.
       Conclusion: The essential oil of P. roseum has favorable inhibitory activity on the growth of L. infantum promastigotes after 48 hours. This indicates the therapeutic potential of this plant for treatment of leishmaniasis.
        Keywords: Leishmania infantum, Pelargonium, Promastigote, Meglumine antimoniate.