Evaluation of the therapeutic effect of butenafine in the American Tegumentar Leishmaniasis

• Grant number: 17/09405-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2018
• End date: September 30, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Parasitology - Protozoology of Parasites
• Agreement: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Felipe Domingues Passero
• Grantee: Adriana Bezerra de Souza
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB-CLP). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista. São Vicente , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Leishmaniases are diseases caused by different species of parasites belonging to the Leishmania genus, that affects millions of people worldwide. The disease can be characterized by different clinical forms, depending upon of the species and the relation between host and parasite. Leishmaniases occur in 98 countries, in five continents; therefore, it is a global concern. Even with a huge medical-epidemiological significance, the treatment is based on the drugs Antimonials and Amphotericin B. These medicines possess serious side effects to patients, leading to the therapy abandon. Considering these facts, new alternatives for therapy are needed. In this sense, we started studies with several antifungal drugs, and one of them, Butenafine, that belongs to benzylamine class of drugs, eliminated promastigotes and amastigotes forms of Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis and Leishmania (Vianna) braziliensis, thus these results suggests that this drug can be effective in vivo. Based on this description, the main goal of the present project is to evaluate the leishmanicial potential in vivo of the drug butenafine, in topical and systemic use, in BALB/c mice infected with L. amazonensis. BALB/c mice will be infected with L. amazonensis, and after four weeks of infection, the topical and systemic treatments will be started for 15 days. The lesion sizes will be measured weekly during lesion evolution. After 2 weeks of the end of treatment, the animals will be sacrificed, and the tissue parasitism will be evaluated. The cellular immune response of the animals will be measured by quantifying levels of IFN-³, IL-12, IL-4 and IL-10. In addition, biochemical changes will be analyzed by quantifying ALT, AST, creatinine, and urea. Histopathological study will be performed on the skin of animals. It is worth mentioning that the therapeutic effect of butenafine will be compared with the effect of glucantime. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BEZERRA-SOUZA, ADRIANA; JESUS, JESSICA A.; LAURENTI, MARCIA D.; LALATSA, AIKATERINI; SERRANO, DOLORES R.; PASSERO, LUIZ FELIPE D.. Nanoemulsified Butenafine for Enhanced Performance against Experimental Cutaneous Leishmaniasis. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY RESEARCH, v. 2021, MAR 31 2021. (16/00468-0, 18/24077-6, 17/09405-4)

BEZERRA-SOUZA, ADRIANA; FERNANDEZ-GARCIA, RAQUEL; RODRIGUES, GABRIELA F.; BOLAS-FERNANDEZ, FRANCISCO; LAURENTI, MARCIA DALASTRA; PASSERO, LUIZ FELIPE; LALATSA, AIKATERINI; SERRANO, DOLORES R.. Repurposing Butenafine as An Oral Nanomedicine for Visceral Leishmaniasis. PHARMACEUTICS, v. 11, n. 7, JUL 2019. (17/09405-4, 16/00468-0)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

SOUZA, Adriana Bezerra de. Evaluation of in vivo or in vitro of butenafine free or in nanocarrier on L. (L.) infantum e L. (L.) amazonensis. 2019. Master's Dissertation - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Medicina (FM/SBD) São Paulo.