Effects of combined therapy with thalidomide and glucantime on leishmaniasis induced by Leishmania major in BALB/c mice.
- Author:
Ghassem SOLGI
1
;
Amina KARIMINIA
;
Khossro ABDI
;
Majid DARABI
;
Behnaz GHAREGHOZLOO
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article ; Comparative Study ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Keywords: Leishmania major; mice (BALB/c); thalidomide; glucantime; cytokine
- MeSH: Time Factors; Thalidomide/pharmacology/*therapeutic use; Organometallic Compounds/pharmacology/*therapeutic use; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice; Meglumine/pharmacology/*therapeutic use; Leishmaniasis, Visceral/*drug therapy/immunology; Leishmania major/*drug effects; Interleukin-12/analysis/biosynthesis; Interleukin-10/analysis/biosynthesis; Interferon Type II/analysis/biosynthesis/drug effects; Immunosuppressive Agents/pharmacology/*therapeutic use; Female; Drug Therapy, Combination; Disease Progression; Disease Models, Animal; Cells, Cultured; Antiprotozoal Agents/pharmacology/*therapeutic use; Animals
- From:The Korean Journal of Parasitology 2006;44(1):55-61
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: For treating Leishmania major infection in BALB/c mice, we used thalidomide in conjunction with glucantime. Groups of mice were challenged with 5 x 10(3) metacyclic promastigotes of L. major subcutaneously. A week after the challenge, drug treatment was started and continued for 12 days. Thalidomide was orally administrated 30 mg/kg/day and glucantime was administrated intraperitoneally (200 mg/kg/day). It was shown that the combined therapy is more effective than single therapies with each one of the drugs since the foot pad swelling in the group of mice received thalidomide and glucantime was significantly decreased (0.9 +/- 0.2 mm) compared to mice treated with either glucantime, thalidomide, or carrier alone (1.2 +/- 0.25, 1.4 +/- 0.3, and 1.7 +/- 0.27 mm, respectively). Cytokine study showed that the effect of thalidomide was not dependent on IL-12; however, it up-regulated IFN-gamma and down-regulated IL-10 production. Conclusively, thalidomide seems promising as a conjunctive therapy with antimony in murine model of visceral leishmaniasis.
