Evaluation of the combined treatment of topical tofacitinib 2% ointment and glucantim in the treatment of leishmaniasis lesions

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is one of the most important health problems in Iran. There is still no effective vaccine available against human leishmaniasis and current treatment is based on chemotherapy. Conventional drugs are toxic and expensive, and drug resistance has caused the search for new treatments. Tofacitinib is a Janus kinase inhibitor that disturbs the signaling pathway of several cytokines in the immune system. The aim of this study was to evalute the effect of topical tofacitinib 2% ointment in healing cutaneous leishmaniasis in Balb/C mice.

This experimental study was performed using tofacitinib and glucantim drugs in 40 female Balb/C mice. The metacyclic form of promastigote of Leishmania major standard strain (MRHO/IR/75/ER) was injected into the footpad of the mice, the mice were divided into 4 treatment groups: tofacitinib, glucantim, tofacitinib-glucantim and control without treatment. The treatment period was 28 days. The footpad thickness of all groups was measured at the end of each week.

After the end of the treatment in the groups treated with tofacitinib, a significant decrease in the size of lesion and the footpad thickness was observed compared to the control group without treatment (P<0.01).

It seems that tofacitinib ointment accelerates lesion healing in Balb/C mice and has worked similarly to standard glucantim treatment. Ointment can be a better option for leishmaniasis treatment and due to its ease of use and no need for painful injections it can be considered as an option for the treatment of patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis.