Efeito do imidocarb e do levamisol sobre a infecção experimental de camundongos BALB/c por Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis

Abstract

The adverse effects proceeding of use of current available drugs for the treatment of leishmaniasis have motivated the search for new therapeutical agents. The aim of this work was to evaluat the effect of imidocarb and levamisol in the treatment of the BALB/c mice experimental infected by L. (L.) amazonensis. BALB/c mice were infected with 106 promastigotes of L. (L.) amazonensis (IFLA/BR/67/PH8) on stationary phase and further treated with imidocarb (GI- IMD), imidocarb plus levamisol (GII-IMD+LVS), only levamisol (GIII-LVS) and without treatment (GIV-control). The evolution of lesions was monitored weekly for 10 weeks after the beginning of the treatment, on 51º day post-infection, with imidocarb and levamisol, subcutaneously dosages of 34 and 12 mg/kg respectively. On 121º day post-infection the serum levels of specific antibodies of mice of all groups were evaluated as well, the histopathological and morphometric alterations in the footpad, lymph nodes and spleen of these animals. The data obtained in this study demonstrated that mice treated with imidocarb GI-IMD showed lower levels of IgG anti-L. (L.) amazonensis (34,45%), smaller area of vacuole in the macrophages (3,75%), lower number of megakaryocytes on spleen (63,19%) and lower parasitic burden on footpad (30,2%) vs control group (GIV-control). Thus the findings in the present work suggest the use of imidocarb as a drug in the treatment of tegumentary leishmaniasis.