AVALIAÇÃO DA AÇÃO DE FIBRA ELETROFIADA DE ECOVIO® COM OU SEM ÓLEO OZONIZADO INTEGRADO NA CICATRIZAÇÃO DE LESÕES POR Leishmania amazonensis EM MODELO ANIMAL

Abstract

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a neglected tropical disease that causes severe skin lesions, leaving scars that affect the physical and psychological well-being of patients. Conventional treatments for CL are expensive and have limited accessibility, are associated with adverse effects such as hepatic and renal toxicity, and cases of treatment resistance have been reported, compromising patient adherence. Ozonized sunflower oil has been explored as a promising alternative due to its antimicrobial and wound-healing properties. The electrospinning technique, in turn, enables the production of nanofibers that can be incorporated with bioactive compounds, presenting potential for low-cost treatments with cellular benefits. Thus, in this study, the efficacy of electrospun fibers impregnated with ozonized sunflower oil was evaluated for the treatment of cutaneous lesions caused by Leishmania amazonensis, in combination with the standard treatment (meglumine antimoniate), for wound healing of lesions on the dorsal region of mice. The results showed that the group treated with electrospun Ecovio® fiber without additives (G2) was promising in reducing lesion size. Histological evaluation demonstrated significant epithelial recovery in animals treated with additive free Ecovio® fiber. However, lesions treated with fiber containing ozonized oil showed greater collagen deposition. In the systemic evaluation, the group treated with additive free Ecovio® was the only one to demonstrate a reduction in leukocyte count, indicating that Ecovio® is capable of systemically modulating inflammation, promoting a progressive decrease in leukocyte numbers over time. Finally, in the cytokine analysis, an increase in IL-6 was expected in the infected and untreated group. Regarding TNF-α, the lowest concentration was observed in the untreated group.