Therapeutic Potential of Green Synthesized Copper Nanoparticles Alone or Combined with Meglumine Antimoniate (Glucantime®) in Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Aishah E Albalawi; Sobhy Abdel-Shafy; Amal Khudair Khalaf; Abdullah D Alanazi; Parastoo Baharvand; Katrin Ebrahimi; Hossein Mahmoudvand

doi:10.3390/nano11040891

Therapeutic Potential of Green Synthesized Copper Nanoparticles Alone or Combined with Meglumine Antimoniate (Glucantime^®) in Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Nanomaterials (Basel). 2021 Mar 31;11(4):891. doi: 10.3390/nano11040891.

Authors

Aishah E Albalawi¹, Sobhy Abdel-Shafy², Amal Khudair Khalaf³, Abdullah D Alanazi^{4

5}, Parastoo Baharvand⁶, Katrin Ebrahimi⁷, Hossein Mahmoudvand⁸

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Science, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 47913, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Parasitology and Animal Diseases, Veterinary Research Division, National Research Centre, 33 Bohouth St., Dokki, Giza 12622, Egypt.
³ Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Thiqar, Thiqar 0096442, Iraq.
⁴ Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Science and Humanities, Shaqra University, P.O. Box 1040, Ad-Dawadimi 11911, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Alghad International Colleges for Applied Medical Science, Tabuk 47913, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Department of Community Medicine, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad 68138-33946, Iran.
⁷ Department of Biology, Payame Noor University, Tehran 19569, Iran.
⁸ Razi Herbal Medicines Research Center, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad 68149-93165, Iran.

Abstract

Background: In recent years, the focus on nanotechnological methods in medicine, especially in the treatment of microbial infections, has increased rapidly.

Aim: The present study aims to evaluate in vitro and in vivo antileishmanial effects of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) green synthesized by Capparis spinosa fruit extract alone and combined with meglumine antimoniate (MA).

Methods: CuNPs were green synthesized by C. spinosa methanolic extract. The in vitro antileishmanial activity of CuNPs (10-200 µg/mL) or MA alone (10-200 µg/mL), and various concentrations of MA (10-200 μg/mL) along with 20 μg/mL of CuNPs, was assessed against the Leishmania major (MRHO/IR/75/ER) amastigote forms and, then tested on cutaneous leishmaniasis induced in male BALB/c mice by L. major. Moreover, infectivity rate, nitric oxide (NO) production, and cytotoxic effects of CuNPs on J774-A1 cells were evaluated.

Results: Scanning electron microscopy showed that the particle size of CuNPs was 17 to 41 nm. The results demonstrated that CuNPs, especially combined with MA, significantly (p < 0.001) inhibited the growth rate of L. major amastigotes and triggered the production of NO (p < 0.05) in a dose-dependent manner. CuNPs also had no significant cytotoxicity in J774 cells. The mean number of parasites was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced in the infected mice treated with CuNPs, especially combined with MA in a dose-dependent response. The mean diameter of the lesions decreased by 43 and 58 mm after the treatment with concentrations of 100 and 200 mg/mL of CuNPs, respectively.

Conclusion: The findings of the present study demonstrated the high potency and synergistic effect of CuNPs alone and combined with MA in inhibiting the growth of amastigote forms of L. major, as well as recovery and improving cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) induced by L. major in BALB/c mice. Additionally, supplementary studies, especially in clinical settings, are required.

Keywords: amastigote; cutaneous leishmaniasis; cytotoxicity; mice; nanomedicine; nitric oxide.