Korean J Parasitol.  2006 Mar;44(1):55-61. 10.3347/kjp.2006.44.1.55.

Effects of combined therapy with thalidomide and glucantime on leishmaniasis induced by Leishmania major in BALB/c mice

• Solgi G
• Kariminia
• Abdi K
• Darabi M
• Ghareghozloo B

• KMID: 1091837
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2006.44.1.55

Abstract

For treating Leishmania major infection in BALB/c mice, we used thalidomide in conjunction with glucantime. Groups of mice were challenged with 5 x 10(3) metacyclic promastigotes of L. major subcutaneously. A week after the challenge, drug treatment was started and continued for 12 days. Thalidomide was orally administrated 30 mg/kg/day and glucantime was administrated intraperitoneally (200 mg/kg/day). It was shown that the combined therapy is more effective than single therapies with each one of the drugs since the foot pad swelling in the group of mice received thalidomide and glucantime was significantly decreased (0.9 +/- 0.2 mm) compared to mice treated with either glucantime, thalidomide, or carrier alone (1.2 +/- 0.25, 1.4 +/- 0.3, and 1.7 +/- 0.27 mm, respectively). Cytokine study showed that the effect of thalidomide was not dependent on IL-12; however, it up-regulated IFN-gamma and down-regulated IL-10 production. Conclusively, thalidomide seems promising as a conjunctive therapy with antimony in murine model of visceral leishmaniasis.

Keyword

Leishmania major; mice (BALB/c); thalidomide; glucantime; cytokine

MeSH Terms

Time Factors
Thalidomide/pharmacology/*therapeutic use
Organometallic Compounds/pharmacology/*therapeutic use
Mice, Inbred BALB C
Mice
Meglumine/pharmacology/*therapeutic use
Leishmaniasis, Visceral/*drug therapy/immunology
Leishmania major/*drug effects
Interleukin-12/analysis/biosynthesis
Interleukin-10/analysis/biosynthesis
Interferon Type II/analysis/biosynthesis/drug effects
Immunosuppressive Agents/pharmacology/*therapeutic use
Female
Drug Therapy, Combination
Disease Progression
Disease Models, Animal
Cells, Cultured
Antiprotozoal Agents/pharmacology/*therapeutic use
Animals