Oral Effect of Tridax procumbens, Allium sativum, and (3 S)-16, 17-Didehydrofalcarinol in a Murine Model of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

The oral effect of Tridax procumbens L., Asteraceae, methanolic extract and (3S)-16,17-didehydrofalcarinol (an oxylipin)alone or in combination with Allium sativum L., Amaryllidaceae, aqueous extract over the course of infection in BALB/c mice infected by Leishmania mexicana was evaluated. First, the effective dose of the extracts and the oxylipin in terms of reduction of the ulcer size was determined. Then, the effect of combinations of A. sativum with either T. procumbens or oxylipin over the lesion size, parasite load, and interferon gamma expression in situ was evaluated. The administration of 40 mg/kg/day of T. procumbens significantly reduced ulcer size (p?=?0.0045)in comparison to the control group at the end of the administration. Treatment with oxylipin at doses of 40 and 80 mg/kg/day led to re-epithelization of the tissue in at least one mouse 2 weeks post-treatment. Treatment with A. sativum had no effect on lesion reduction at any doses. The combinations of Tridax-Allium and oxylipin-Allium tended to control parasite load at levels comparable to the treatment with glucantime. Animals treated with the oxylipin-Allium mix had fewer extracellular amastigotes and infected macrophages than the untreated mice. Treatment with T. procumbens induced the expression of interferon gamma in situ. Our results suggest the potential of the methanolic extract of T. procumbens and the oxylipin alone or in combination with A. sativum as alternative treatments of cutaneous leishmaniasis.