Preclinical Studies of Antileishmanial Activity of Caesalpinia spinose and Potential Utility in the treatment of patients with Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

The World Health Organization has prioritized the validation of traditional medicine products to strengthen the role this medicine plays in keeping populations healthy. Caesalpinia spinose is used in the management of ulcers for their astringent, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and healing properties. A gum extract of C. spinose was formulated as Alyeyuba® [1]. The antileishmanial activity of the gum extract was tested in Leishmania braziliensis amastigotes using flow cytometry and the cytotoxicity was analyzed in human U937 cells by MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide) method [2]. The in vivo therapeutic response was determined in the experimental model for cutaneous leishmaniasis in hamster [2]. A preliminary evaluation of the therapeutic potential of these formulations as antileishmanial treatment in humans was done in seven patients with uncomplicated cutaneous leishmaniasis. Alyeyuba® showed moderate in vitro activity against amastigotes of Leishmania and no cytotoxicity in U-937 macrophages. Five of 6 hamsters (83.3%) infected by L. braziliensis treated with Alyeyuba® cream and 6/6 hamsters (100%) treated with Alyeyuba® lotion, both administered twice per day for 28 days, cured at the end of the study. Indeed, seven patients treated with a combination of cream (twice a day) and lotion (three times a day) during 28 days showed complete cure 45 days after the end of treatment without adverse reactions. All patients remain cured. Alyeyuba® may represent an option for treating uncomplicated CL and therefore will be an opportunity to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this phytotherapeutic by randomized controlled trials to have an alternative for the treatment of CL.

[1] https://es.unibrander.com/colombia/3665674CO/alyeyuba.html

[2] Mesa LE et alRev Soc Bras Med Trop. 2017; 50: 52 – 60.