Reductions in skin and systemic parasite burdens as a combined effect of topical paromomycin and oral miltefosine treatment of mice experimentally infected with Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis

Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2010 Nov;54(11):4699-704. doi: 10.1128/AAC.00809-10. Epub 2010 Aug 16.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the activity of a combination of topical paromomycin gel and oral miltefosine for the treatment of experimental cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis. The efficacy of the combination, evaluated by measuring lesion size and parasite burden in the skin and spleen, was assessed in BALB/c mice infected by L. (L.) amazonensis. The miltefosine was administered orally at 10 mg/kg of body weight/day for 10 days, while 10% paromomycin gel was applied topically twice a day for 20 days. Treatment of the experimentally infected animals with a topical paromomycin-oral miltefosine combination induced a statistically significant reduction in lesion size and parasite burden in the skin and spleen, with complete healing of ulcers, compared with those treated with a placebo group. A combination of topical paromomycin gel and oral miltefosine provided enhanced efficacy in the treatment of L. (L.) amazonensis-infected mice, showing activity higher than that observed for the monotherapeutic regimens.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Administration, Oral
  • Administration, Topical
  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / administration & dosage
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Antiprotozoal Agents / administration & dosage
  • Antiprotozoal Agents / pharmacology
  • Antiprotozoal Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Female
  • Leishmania / drug effects*
  • Leishmaniasis / drug therapy*
  • Leishmaniasis / parasitology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Paromomycin / administration & dosage
  • Paromomycin / pharmacology
  • Paromomycin / therapeutic use*
  • Phosphorylcholine / administration & dosage
  • Phosphorylcholine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Phosphorylcholine / pharmacology
  • Phosphorylcholine / therapeutic use
  • Skin / physiopathology*

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Antiprotozoal Agents
  • Phosphorylcholine
  • miltefosine
  • Paromomycin