Majallah-i Dānishgāh-i ’Ulūm-i Pizishkī-i Īlām (Dec 2021)
Evaluation of the Effect of Liposome Carriers and Albumin Nanoparticles Containing Activated Melittin on Inhibiting the Growth of Leishmania Major Amastigote in vivo
Abstract
Introduction: Leishmaniasis is an infectious and parasitic disease that is among the most important zoonotic diseases in tropical and subtropical regions, as well as developing countries. Despite the efforts of clinical researchers over the years, few signs of progress have been made in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis leading to satisfactory clinical improvement. In this study, activated melittin was used to treat leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania major. Moreover, liposomes and nanoparticles of albumin were used separately for the entry of myelin into leishmania-infected macrophages. Furthermore, their effects on Leishmania-infected cells were compared in vivo. Material & Methods: After designing activated melittin peptide for a selective expression using pep fold and expasy servers, liposomes and albumin nanoparticles were used to transfer the peptide into the cell and evaluate the function of transfer vectors on Leishmania major-infected cells. Finally, they were investigated in vivo to analyze the anti-leishmaniasis activity of carriers containing activated melittin and their uptake by macrophages. (Ethic code: 7506009/6/35) Findings After wounding the BALB/c mice on the second week, an effective concentration of 100 μl of each of the nanoparticles of albumin and liposome containing 25 μg of activated melittin was injected into BALB/c mice as a therapeutic dose. After the fifth week, in the third group (control), the wound size increased significantly and eventually led to the death of the mice in the control group. However, in the first and second groups treated with liposomes containing peptide and nanoparticle albumin, at the beginning of the fifth week, the wound size got smaller, and the recovery process initiated (P<0.05). Discussion & Conclusion: The results of this part of the study showed that the therapeutic effects with liposome carriers and albumin nanoparticles containing 25 μg/ml activated melittin in mice with leishmaniasis can be compared with those of the control group. Liposome and nanoparticle carriers of albumin-containing activated melittin have been suggested as an effective, appropriate, and even alternative treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis.
