| Year | Reference |
|---|---|
|
2014
|
Interferon-gamma and interlukin-4 patterns in BALB/c mice suffering from cutaneous leishmaniasis treated with cantharidin.
Jundishapur journal of microbiology
2014 Jun;7: e10907
|
BACKGROUND: Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a health problem in the world. Lesions should be treated on cosmetically or functionally important sites, such as the face and hands. Cantharidin is a terpenoid compound produced naturally by beetles of Meloidae and Oedemeridae families.
OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to investigate the effect of cantharidin on Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) lesions and IFN-γ and IL-4 patterns in infected BALB/c mice.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: INFECTED BALB/C MICE WERE DIVIDED INTO FIVE GROUPS AS: untreated (control group), eucerin-treated and 0.05%, 0.1% and 0.5% cantharidin-treated. Lesions diameter was measured by Vernier caliper every three days for four weeks. Cytokines levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using U-CyTech kit.
RESULTS: The results indicated that treatment with cantharidin exacerbates lesions compared with the controls, except for 0.05% cantharidin dose that restrained lesion growth significantly. Interferon gamma level in cantharidin-treated groups was significantly less than that of the control group. But interlukin-4 level was similar among the groups.
CONCLUSIONS: The current study results indicated that high doses of cantharidin exacerbates leishmaniasis lesion, but low dose of cantharidin inhibits lesion growth.