Antileishmanial Effects of Propolis Against Leishmania major In Vitro and In Vivo

Propolis is produced by honey bees from plants, buds, and exudates and as an antiseptic is used to treat several diseases, such as acne and wounds.

Due to some difficulty in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis, the aim of this study was to evaluate the propolis extract function against Leishmania major.

Different concentrations (9.375, 18.75, 37.5, 75, 150, and 300 μg/mL) of both Ethanolic Extract of Propolis (EEP) and the standard drug (Glucantime) were prepared for the in vitro model, and then applied to the fixed number of promastigotes. The promastigotes were counted after 24, 48, and 72-h treatment. Then, the viability of promastigotes was tested by MTT after 72 h of treatment. Twenty mice with cutaneous leishmaniasis were divided into four groups for in vivo model, including a positive group (treatment with Glucantime), a negative group (without treatment), and two experimental groups (treatment with EEP 1% and 4%). The sizes of the ulcers were measured at the beginning of the experiment and weekly for four weeks.

The in vitro model indicated that both EEP and Glucantime reduced the number of promastigotes and the difference between EEP and Glucantime was not significant at concentrations 37.5, 75, 150, and 300 μg/mL. The in vivo model demonstrated that EEP 4% and Glucantime were similar and decreased the size of ulcers more significantly than the negative control and EEP 1% (P < 0.05).

Propolis as an herbal drug had antileishmanial activity against Leishmania major in vitro and in vivo. We suggest using it for complementary treatment.