Efficacy of the treatment using a microemulsion loaded with epoxy-α-lapachone in combination with meglumine antimoniate against murine infection by Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis.

Abstract	Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by Leishmania spp., affecting millions of people around the world. For decades, its treatment has been based on pentavalent antimonials, which notoriously cause toxic side effects in patients. In this study, epoxy-α-lapachone incorporated into an oil-in-water-type microemulsion (ELAP-ME) and meglumine antimoniate (MA) were assayed in monotherapy and in combination (ELAP-ME/MA) in BALB/c mice infected with Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis. In general, there was a reduction in paw lesion size (up to 37% reduction) and decreases of parasite loads in the footpad (∼40%) and lymph nodes (∼31%) of animals treated with ELAP-ME/MA, when compared to the non-treated control groups. Analyses of serum biochemical parameters revealed that the ELAP-ME/MA showed lower renal and hepatic toxicity when compared to MA 2-doses/week monotherapy. These findings indicate that the ELAP-ME/MA combination may be a promising approach for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis.
Authors	Juliana Figueiredo Peixoto, Luiz Filipe Gonçalves-Oliveira, Franklin Souza-Silva, Luzia Monteiro de Castro Côrtes, Léa Cysne Finkelstein, Geovane Dias-Lopes, Beatriz Ferreira de Carvalho Patricio, Carolina Guimarães de Souza Lima, Helvécio Vinícius Antunes Rocha, Fernando de Carvalho da Silva, Vitor Francisco Ferreira, Bernardo Acácio Santini Pereira, Carlos Roberto Alves
Journal	International journal for parasitology. Drugs and drug resistance (Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist) Vol. 24 Pg. 100525 (Apr 2024) ISSN: 2211-3207 [Electronic] Netherlands
PMID	38359731 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
Copyright	Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Chemical References	Meglumine Antimoniate alpha-lapachone Antiprotozoal Agents Meglumine Organometallic Compounds Naphthoquinones
Topics	Humans Animals Mice Meglumine Antimoniate (therapeutic use) Leishmania Antiprotozoal Agents Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous (drug therapy, parasitology) Meglumine (therapeutic use) Organometallic Compounds (therapeutic use) Mice, Inbred BALB C Naphthoquinones

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