Application of Cryotherapy in the Treatment of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in BALB/c Mice Compared With Commercial Injectable Treatments

Introduction: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), caused by Leishmania species, is a parasitic disease prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions. Currently, pentavalent antimonial compounds such as pentostam (sodium stibogluconate) and glucantime (meglumine antimoniate) are considered first-line treatments for CL. Materials & Methods: In this study, the efficacy of cryotherapy administered alone and in combination with commercial drugs for treating CL, compared with monotherapy using commercial treatments (glucantime and amphotericin B), in BALB/c mice was investigated. Following lesion development, glucantime was administered daily via direct intralesional injection, while amphotericin B was administered intraperitoneally as a single daily dose for three weeks. Cryotherapy was performed six times over a maximum period of three weeks. Results: The results demonstrated a significant reduction in lesion size and accelerated wound healing in groups treated with cryotherapy combined with glucantime or amphotericin B compared with the control group. In the cryotherapy-glucantime group, complete wound closure was achieved by the third week, with no residual nodules or lesion expansion, as observed in the untreated control group. Notably, at the end of the treatment period, no parasites were detected in the spleens of any treatment group. Conclusion: This study supports cryotherapy as an effective adjunctive strategy for enhancing the efficacy of conventional drugs in cutaneous leishmaniasis.

کلیدواژه ها:

Amphotericin B ، cryotherapy ، Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) ، Glucantime ، Leishmania major