Promastigotes of Leishmania braziliensis, L. donovani, L. major and L. mexicana recently derived from tissue amastigotes were cultured in Schneider's Drosophila medium supplemented with 20% (v/v) heat-inactivated foetal calf serum and 25 micrograms gentamicin sulfate/ml at pH 5.5. These cultures produced more metacyclic promastigotes in their stationary-phase populations than others cultured at...

artemisinin and its derivatives are very important new class of antimalarial drugs. one of the most important artemisinin derivatives is artemether. the antiparasitic activity of artemether as a derivative of artemisinin is related to endoperoxide bridge in its structure. the aim of this study was the evaluation of antileishmanial effect of artemether, with more focus on its apoptotic effect. i...

Human leishmaniasis covers a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations ranging from self-healing cutaneous leishmaniasis to severe and lethal visceral leishmaniasis caused among other species by Leishmania major or Leishmania donovani, respectively. Some drug candidates are in clinical trials to substitute current therapies, which are facing emerging drug-resistance accompanied with serious sid...

It was recently hypothesized that Leishmania amastigotes could constitute a semi-quiescent stage characterized by low replication and reduced metabolic activity. This concept developed with Leishmania (Leishmania) mexicana and Leishmania (Leishmania) major models might explain numerous clinical and sub-clinical features of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis infections, like reactivation of the d...

Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease that is transmitted by sandflies and caused by obligate intracellular protozoa of the genus Leishmania. In the present study, we carried out a screening on the experimental infection of Phlebotomus pernioucus by bioluminescent Leishmania infantum using murine model and artificial feeder. We developed a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based me...

Three adaptor molecules of the Dok family, Dok-1, Dok-2 and Dok-3 are expressed in macrophages and are involved in the negative regulation of signaling in response to lipopolysaccharide and various cytokines and growth factors. We investigated the role and the fate of these proteins following infection with Leishmania major promastigotes in macrophages. The protozoan parasite L. major causes cu...

In normal human serum (NHS), axenic promastigotes of Crithidia, Phytomonas, and Leishmania trigger complement activation, and from 1.2 to 1.8 x 10(5) C3 molecules are deposited per promastigote within 2.5 min. In Leishmania, promastigote C3 binding capacity remains constant during in vitro metacyclogenesis. C3 deposition on promastigotes activated through the classical complement pathway reache...

OBJECTİVE: In this study, we aimed to examine of antileishmanial effect curcumin-mediated sonodynamic (SDT), photodynamic (PDT), and sonophotodynamic (SPDT) therapies with a potential mechanism against the Leishmania tropica (L.tropica) promastigotes. SPDT is new treatment modality for Leishmaniasis that combines therapies. Curcumin natural antiinflammatory agent has been used treating medical ...

In the present work we examined the effect of ion transport blockers on the growth and viability of Leishmania sp. and on the infection of macrophages by the parasite. 4-aminopyridine and glibenclamide block voltage-dependent and K+ ATP channels, respectively; amiloride is used to detect Na+ channels and Na+/H+ antiporters; and anthracene-9-carboxylic acid affects chloride channels. The EC50 fo...

the early cytokines production in response to live logarithmic and stationary phase promastigotes of leishmania major was examined on the peripheral blood cells of the healthy individuals. whole blood cultures were stimulated by either logarithmic or stationary phase promastigotes. ifn- and il-10 productions were assessed by specific sandwich elisa. the results showed that the logarithmic prom...