Application of Cryotherapy in the Treatment of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in BALB/c Mice Compared with Commercial Injectable Treatments

Sadjadi, Sayed Kamyab; Adhami, Ghazaaleh; Maroufi, Yahya

doi:10.22092/ari.2025.368245.3494

Application of Cryotherapy in the Treatment of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in BALB/c Mice Compared with Commercial Injectable Treatments

Articles in Press

Document Type : Short Communication

Authors

¹ Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Islamic Azad University of Sanandaj, Sanandaj, Iran

² Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran

10.22092/ari.2025.368245.3494

Abstract

Abstract
Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), caused by Leishmania species, is a parasitic disease prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions. Currently, pentavalent antimonial compounds such as pentostam (sodium stibogluconate) and glucantime (meglumine antimoniate) are considered first-line treatments for CL. In this study the efficacy of cryotherapy administered alone and in combination with commercial drugs for treating CL compared to monotherapy with commercial treatments (glucantime and amphotericin B) in BALB/c mice was investigated. Mice infected with Leishmania major were divided into six groups (n=5 per group). Following lesion development, glucantime was administered daily via direct intralesional injection, while amphotericin B was administered intraperitoneally as a single daily dose for three weeks. Cryotherapy was performed six times over a maximum period of three weeks. At the conclusion of the treatment period, two mice from each group were euthanized under sterile conditions, and their spleens were harvested to determine parasite load through culture in RPMI 1640 medium. The results demonstrated a significant reduction in lesion size and accelerated wound healing in groups treated with cryotherapy combined with glucantime or amphotericin B compared to the control group. In the cryotherapy-glucantime group, complete wound closure was achieved by the third week, with no residual nodules or lesion expansion, as observed in the untreated control group. Notably, at the end of the treatment period, no parasites were detected in the spleens of any treatment group. This study supports cryotherapy as an effective adjunctive strategy for enhancing the efficacy of conventional drugs in cutaneous leishmaniasis.
Keywords: amphotericin B, cryotherapy, cutaneous leishmaniasis, glucantime, Leishmania major

Keywords