O óleo de girassol ozonizado atua como coadjuvante ao Glucantime no tratamento da leishmaniose cutânea em modelo animal

Abstract

Leishmaniasis are a group of neglected tropical diseases considered a public health problem, with high incidence and wide geographic distribution. The drugs used for the treatment of these diseases have many adverse effects, are toxic and cases of parasite resistance have already been reported. Ozonized oil has been used topically for the treatment of chronic wounds, having important reductions in patients' recuperation time, greater effectiveness and accession, as well as lower cost of treatment. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of ozonized sunflower oil in the treatment of skin wounds caused by leishmaniasis in animals. Thereby, 5 groups of Balb/c mice infected with Leishmania amazonensis and treated with ozonized oil, non-ozonized oil and the standard drug (Glucantime®) were used. The concentrations of ozonized oil used was from 0.625 to 320 µg/mL and the cell viability of treated and untreated murine macrophages was evaluated, among other experiments, as well as the activity on promastigotes and amastigotes of L. amazonensis in vitro. The group that showed the best results was the one treated with ozonized oil and Glucantime®, whereupon ozone contributed to the decrease in the production of nitric oxide by murine macrophages and did not show cytotoxicity against them, with a CC50 of 84.21 µg/ ml and an IC50 of 1.71 µg/ml. There was also a decrease in the parasite load in cultures and in lesions surface, in addition to the maintenance of the cellular epithelium in the histological analysis. Furthermore, this joint therapy contributed to a decrease in the thickness of the infected paw and improved healing. It was also verified the high production of TNF-α and IFN-γ and lower production, when compared to the untreated group, of IL-4 by the mouse cells. Finally, the adjunct therapy of ozonized sunflower oil and the drug Glucantime® is effective in eliminating Leishmania amazonensis parasites, both in vitro and in vivo, promoting the healing of skin lesions caused by leishmaniasis. Thus, the use of ozonized oil as an adjuvant provides a shorter treatment time for patients, who will consequently be less exposed to the adverse effects of standard long term treatment.