Cytotoxic Effects of Artemisia Dracunculus L. and Heracleum Persicum Desf. Extracts on Leishmania major and Leishmania infantum Promastigotes Using MTT Assay

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease that occurs in subtropical and tropical regions with approximately 350 million people worldwide and 2 million new cases annually. The annual increase in cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is observed, especially in endemic areas such as Iran. Since there is no effective vaccine, the detection of natural anti-leishmanial products is essential.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the in vitro anti-leishmanial activity of two herbal medicine including Artemisia dracunculus L. and Heracleum persicum Desf. (Golpar).

The extracts of selected plants were obtained by maceration, and in vitro anti-leishmanial activity was assayed on Leishmania major and Leishmania infantum promastigotes using colorimetric MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay in comparison with glucantime as a reference.

Based on the results, 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of selected plants and glucantime solutions were determined at 24, 48, and 72 hours incubation. Further, the antileishmanial activity of the leaf extract of A. dracunculus with IC50 values of 1.85 and 3.5 µg/mL and the fruit extract of H. persicum with values of 31.32 and 11.7 µg/mL were evaluated against L. major and L. infantum promastigotes, respectively.

These results revealed anti-leishmania properties of the above-mentioned plants and the need to study the effects of these extracts on the Leishmania genus in animal models and in vivo assay in the future.