Development of a topical treatment for tegumentary leishmaniasis using 8-hydroxyquinoline

• Published in: European journal of pharmaceutics and biopharmaceutics 2024-06, Vol.199, p.114306-114306, Article 114306
• Main Authors: Rezende Ribeiro, Naianda, Magno Oliveira Santos, Lucas, Silva Costa, Scarleth, Kei Myasaki, Carolina, Pagliara Lage, Daniela, Tamietti Martins, Vivian, Cristiane Fortes De Brito, Rory, Chaves Freire, Larissa, Maria Ravena Severino Carvalho, Ana, Victor Serafim Brigido, Bryan, José Alves, Ricardo, Antonio Ferraz Coelho, Eduardo, Mendes Roatt, Bruno, Menezes-Souza, Daniel, Costa Duarte, Mariana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 8-Hydroxiquinoline; Leishmania amazonensis; Leishmaniasis; Topical treatment; Treatment
• ISSN: 0939-6411; 1873-3441
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpb.2024.114306

[Display omitted] •A treatment that used the topical route as an alternative to treatment for tegumentary leishmaniasis.•8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQN) was tolerable by the animals, showing no skin irritation or toxicity.•8-HQN demonstrated potential in a topical formulation, for the treatment using murine models infected with L. amazonensis. In the context of neglected diseases, tegumentary leishmaniasis (TL) presents an emerging and re-emerging character in the national territory and in the world. The treatment of TL has limitations, such as intravenous administration route, high toxicity, and high treatment costs. Thus, several researchers work on new therapeutic strategies to improve the effectiveness of the treatment of leishmaniasis. In this light, the present study used a topical formulation, containing 8-hydroquinoline (8-HQN), for the treatment of Balb/c mice infected with L. amazonensis. After the treatment, the mean diameter of the lesion was measured, as well as the parasite load in organs and immunological parameters associated with the treatment. The results showed that the animals treated with 8-HQN 5%, when compared to controls, showed a reduction in the mean diameter of the lesion and in the parasite load. The animals treated with the ointment showed a type 1 cellular immune response profile associated with the production of cytokines such as INF-γ and TNF-α. In addition, the treatment did not demonstrate toxicity to mice. Therefore, the topical formulation containing 8-HQN 5% is a promising candidate in the topical treatment and could be considered, in the future, as an alternative for the treatment of TL.