The evaluation of quercetin and luteolin efficacy on cutaneous leishmaniasis in mice infected with Leishmania major

Abstract

Introduction: Almost 1.5-2 million people are infected with leishmaniasis and 60,000
die due to the disease every year. The treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis with
the existing medications is not effective and accompanied with various side effects.
Expensiveness and not being available in different forms are other limitations associated
with these drugs. In addition to, parasite resistance restricts the use of these medications;
therefore, identification of new treatment methods is highly essential. Humans have
always used medicinal plants for the treatment of diseases. This study aimed to assess
the impact of quercetin and luteolin on leishmaniasis wounds created on mice’s tails.
Materials and Methods: A total of 56 infected Balb/C mice were divided into eight
groups, each containing seven animals. The first three groups received 3.5 mg/kg
luteolin through oral, intradermal, and intraperitoneal routes. The other three groups
received 14 mg/kg quercetin through oral, intradermal, and intraperitoneal routes. The
treatments were administered twice a week for 4 weeks in comparison to meglumine
antimonite as control groups. Results: The results showed that there was no statistically
significant difference between the recovery of mice in the luteolin and quercetin groups
and those in the meglumine antimonite group. However, the ratio of recovered Balb/C
mice in the luteolin and quercetin group is 1.75-2 times more than meglumine group,
respectively. Conclusion: Quercetin and luteolin seems to be candidate medications
with fewer side effects for recovery from cutaneous leishmaniasis. They can also be used
as complementary medications together with other standard drugs, such as meglumine,
antimonite, and cryotherapy.