Preliminary study of the effect of curcumin on BALB/c mice experimentally infected with cutaneous leishmaniosis: Histopathology

Background: Cutaneous leishmaniosis (CL) is a neglected tropical disease caused by Leishmania protozoans. In Old World, Leishmania major is the main cause of CL—a self-healing disease that leaves permanent scars. BALB/c mice, replicate the pathology of human CL, and enable studies on progression and therapies. Diagnosis usually involves parasitology, serology, molecular tests, and histopathology. Standard treatments (e.g., antimonials) induce toxicity and resistance. This led researchers to focus on herbal components like curcumin; which has anti-leishmanial, anti-inflammatory, and healing effects. This study aimed to assess histopathological outcomes of topical curcumin gel on Leishmania major lesions in BALB/c mice. Methods: Male BALB/c mice (۱۷-۱۹g) were divided into two groups: Untreated (control) and Curcumin-treated. Then we subcutaneously injected ۲×۱۰۶ L. major promastigotes (MRHO/IR/۷۵/ER) at the tail-base to induce infection. After lesion development, we applied topical curcumin gel for ۴ weeks (۲۰۰(L for each mouse). The mice were ethically euthanized using CO۲ asphyxiation. Tissues from skin lesions, lymph nodes, liver, and spleen were collected, prepared for histology, and stained with H&E to assess inflammation, necrosis, and the presence of amastigotes. Results: Preliminary results of the Control group revealed active granulomatous dermatitis with insufficient healing, as well as the presence of amastigotes at ×۱۰۰ magnification. Curcumin group showed ongoing immune-mediated chronic inflammation with dense lymphohistiocytic infiltrate and incomplete wound closure (better than the control group), partial re-epithelialization at the border of the ulcer and minimally scattered amastigotes; but irregular remodeling. Conclusion: Histopathology results showed that the lesion in the treated mice had lower parasite loads and a slight recovery, compared to the control group. So, curcumin can be considered as a candidate for in clinical management of CL. However, altered formulation is required to enhance the quality of tissue remodeling.

کلیدواژه ها:

Cutaneous Leishmaniosis ، L. major ، Curcumin ، Topical gel ، Pathology ، Wound healing