Treatment of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis lesion caused by Leishmania major Using Leech Therapy in BALB/c Mice.
Research article published in Journal of vector borne diseases (2024)
Abstract
BACKGROUND OBJECTIVES: Amphotericin B, Allopurinol, Glucantime and Beta-Glucan are the main drugs currently used for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. In present study, we evaluated the effect of medical leeches on BALB/c mice models infected with Leishmania parasites. METHODS: To create animal models of leishmaniasis, BALB/c mice were inoculated with the standard Leishmania major strain MRHO / IR / 75 / ER. Treatment was performed through blood sampling with leeches. We used medical leech (Hirudo medicinalis) species. This leech is a European medicinal leech, one of several species known used as medicinal leech. 22 mice infected with Leishmania major were used for the tests .The studied mice were divided into two groups which were named with the letters L and D. The duration of blood sampling was 25 min for initial treatment, 20 min for the 2nd blood sampling and 15 min for the third times and onwards. Meglumine antimoniate (Glucantime) is a pentavalent antimony (SbV) that recommended by the World Health Organization as a golden standard treatment for all kind of leishmaniasis, but many side effects are still reported. Criteria for anti-leshmania assessment of Leech were including: Leech saliva has an anti-leishmania effect by acting on the purin pathway. Leech saliva prevents the growth and multiplication of Leishmania by a mechanism of action similar to Glucantim (breaking ATP). RESULTS: The duration of leech treatment in BALB/c mice infected with L.major parasites was about 6-8 weeks. Out of the 22 leishmaniasis mice models that underwent treatment, 13 survived until the end of the treatment duration. The recovery rate was about 56%; lesions improved in five out of the 13 surviving mice models. Paired t-test showed a significant difference between the mean wound size at the beginning of treatment and the 8th week of treatment (PV <0.0001). INTERPRETATION CONCLUSION: Considering the fact that the standard drugs for the treatment of leishmaniasis have many side effects, alternative therapies such as leech therapy can be effectively used to treat these chronic wounds. There are about 20 active substances in leech saliva. These substances include antistasin, eglins, guamerin, hirudin, saratin, bdellins, complement, and carboxypeptidase inhibitors. Leech saliva is an anticoagulant, anti-inflammation and prevents the platelet. Leech therapy was effective in treating leishmaniasis wounds in BALB/c mice. In this study, there was complete wound healing in 56% of the mice models.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Resumen
Amphotericin B, Allopurinol, Glucantime and Beta-Glucan are the main drugs currently used for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. In present study, we evaluated the effect of medical leeches on BALB/c mice models infected with Leishmania parasites.
Por qué esto importa para la hirudoterapia
This study evaluated the efficacy of the medical leech (Hirudo medicinalis) in treating cutaneous leishmaniasis lesions caused by Leishmania major in BALB/c mice. The researchers found that leech therapy resulted in a 56% recovery rate among surviving mice, hypothesizing that leech saliva exerts an anti-leishmania effect by acting on the purin pathway and breaking ATP, similar to standard treatments. This research is directly relevant to the ASH domain as it explores an alternative therapeutic application for the leech secretome, noting the anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory properties of the saliva. However, the findings are limited by a small sample size and the preclinical nature of the study, as it is strictly an animal model experiment with high mortality.
Citación
Treatment of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis lesion caused by Leishmania major Using Leech Therapy in BALB/c Mice.
Shirani-Bidabadi · Journal of vector borne diseases, 2024
Contexto clínico relacionado
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Añadido a la biblioteca ASH: May 28, 2026 · Última actualización del sitio: June 18, 2026