Exploring herbal remedies for alternative therapies for leishmaniasis

The World Health Organization classifies leishmaniasis among the six major parasitic diseases in tropical regions. In Iran, cutaneous leishmaniasis is a significant parasitic disease, second o nly to malaria in arthropod borne illnesses. Visceral (VL), cutaneous (CL), and mucocutaneous (MCL) leishmaniasis affect about ۲ million individuals annually, with approximately ۳۵۰ million people at risk globally. Controlling leishmaniasis as a zoonotic i nfection remains challenging, especially in non epidemic settingswhere interrupting anthroponotic transmission is complex yet feasible. Vaccines for VL, CL, or MCL are unavailable, and chemotherapy, while effective, is costly. Treatment typically involves pentavalent antimony as the primary therapy, administered via injection. If this fails, alternative drugs may be considered based on the Leishmania species and available healthcare resources. Secondary treatments vary based on the infection's characterist ics, with amphotericin B being the most commonly used option,despite its significant toxicity. However, newer formulations of this medication are prohibitively expensive in many endemic regions. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop cost effectiv e, low toxicity oral anti leishmanial compounds for more accessible treatment options. Herbal remedies, often with minimal side effects and accessible and affordable, underscore the importance of utilizing indigenous plants for medicinal purposes. Some med icinal plants show low antileishmanial effects, but their efficacy against leishmaniasis significantly improves when loaded into nanocarriers. It appears that the active components of medicinal plants, particularly when combined with nanocarriers, could be promising for treating Leishmania Leishmania.

کلیدواژه ها:

Leishmania ، Tropical Disease ، Medicinal plant