Evaluation of the lymphoproliferation of mononuclear cells in cutaneous leishmaniasis patients treated with Libidibia ferrea

Abstract

American integumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) is a neglected disease that mostly affects vulnerable populations. Its broad spectrum of clinical manifestations is related to the type of immune response produced by the host and the species of Leishmania involved. In recent years, the use of medicinal plants has become a therapeutic alternative in the treatment of infectious parasitic diseases. This research aimed to evaluate the lymphoproliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) before and after treatment, and healthy individuals. The lymphoproliferative response was evaluated in cell culture using stimuli of the dichloromethane fraction (DCM) obtained from Libidibia ferrea, Glucantime® and phytohemagglutinin - PHA using a BrdU Cell Proliferation after 72 h of incubation. In cultures treated with the DCM fraction, intense induction of lymphoproliferation was observed (p<0.0001), as was also observed in response to the PHA mitogen, and there was a significant difference when compared with the conventional treatment (p<0.0135). In the post-treatment and healthy groups, although the compound induced lymphoproliferation, there was no statistical difference. These results suggest that the organic compound played an important inducing role in lymphoproliferation, which highlights the importance of continuity involving new studies in order to evaluate its immunomodulatory activity.