SavedAdd your journal

Journals / Avrupa Yaşam Bilimleri Dergisi / 2026 / Volume: 5 Issue: 2

Investigation of the in vitro time-dependent effects of artesunate and benznidazole on Leishmania tropica

Yener Özel(BALIKESİR ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0001-6618-8251
Gamze Doğan(CELÂL BAYAR ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0001-8447-274X
İbrahim Çavuş(MANİSA CELÂL BAYAR ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-3860-0146
Pages
—
Publication Date
2026-08-31
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

These findings suggest that both drugs require more comprehensive evaluation.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne parasitic disease caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania.
📊
Key Findings & Data:We performed antileishmanial activity tests using the L. tropica isolate coded MHOM/TR/2012/CBCL-LT.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:These findings suggest that both drugs require more comprehensive evaluation.
🔬Design:Research Article
📍Scope:2012 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Artesunate · benznidazole · in vitro study

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne parasitic disease caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania. This study evaluated the in vitro time-dependent effects of artesunate, an artemisinin derivative, and benznidazole, a nitroimidazole compound, on Leishmania tropica promastigotes. We performed antileishmanial activity tests using the L. tropica isolate coded MHOM/TR/2012/CBCL-LT. We thawed the isolate after removing it from the liquid nitrogen tank, cultured it in NNN medium, and then transferred it to RPMI-1640 medium containing fetal bovine serum. Viability was assessed using the colorimetric test of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) at concentration ranges of 2500–19.53 µg/mL for artesunate and 310–2.42 µg/mL for benznidazole. We determined the minimum parasiticidal concentration (MPC) by microscopic evaluation. We used two-way ANOVA and a Tukey multiple comparison test for statistical analysis. IC50 values for artesunate were determined as 280 µg/mL, 85.35 µg/mL, and 71.18 µg/mL at 24, 48, and 72 hours, respectively; and for benznidazole, as 43.75 µg/mL, 24.76 µg/mL, and 23.87 µg/mL. For both drugs, concentration and incubation time significantly affected promastigote viability (p<0.05). The antileishmanial effects of both drugs varied over time. Benznidazole showed antileishmanial effects earlier, while artesunate efficacy increased with longer incubation periods. These findings suggest that both drugs require more comprehensive evaluation.

🔖

Cite This Article

Özel, Y., Doğan, G., Çavuş, İ. (2026). Investigation of the in vitro time-dependent effects of artesunate and benznidazole on Leishmania tropica. Avrupa Yaşam Bilimleri Dergisi, Volume: 5 Issue: 2. https://doi.org/10.55971/EJLS.1898193

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (20)

  1. Mann, S., Frasca, K., Scherrer, S., Henao-Martínez, A.F., Newman, S., Ramanan, P., Suarez, J.A. (2021). A review of leishmaniasis: Current knowledge and future directions. Curr Trop Med Rep, 8(2), 121-132. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40475-021-00232-7
  2. World Health Organization. (2025). Leishmaniasis. Retrieved February 8, 2026, from https://www.who.int/health-topics/leishmaniasis#tab=tab_1
  3. Özbel, Y., Töz, S., Muñoz, C., Ortuño, M., Jumakanova, Z., Pérez-Cutillas, P., Maia, C., Conceição, C., Baneth, G., Pereira, A., Van der Stede, Y., Gossner, C.M., Berriatua, E. (2022). The current epidemiology of leishmaniasis in Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia and implications for disease emergence in European countries. Zoonoses Public Health, 69(5), 395-407. https://doi.org/10.1111/zph.12977
  4. Şakru, N., Özbel, Y., Töz, S. (2025). Refugees/immigrants and leishmaniasis in the world’s largest hosting country, Türkiye: A systematic review. PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 19(4), e0012947. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0012947
  5. Majoor, A., Michel, G., Marty, P., Boyer, L., Pomares, C. (2025). Leishmaniases: Strategies in treatment development. Parasite, 32, 18. https://doi.org/10.1051/parasite/2025009
  6. Newman, D.J., Cragg, G.M. (2020). Natural products as sources of new drugs over the nearly four decades from 01/1981 to 09/2019. J Nat Prod, 83(3), 770-803. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jnatprod.9b01285
  7. Ritz, C., Baty, F., Streibig, J.C., Gerhard, D. (2015). Dose-Response Analysis Using R. PLoS One, 10(12), e0146021. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0146021
  8. Ismail, M., Ling, L., Du, Y., Yao, C., Li, X. (2018). Liposomes of dimeric artesunate phospholipid: A combination of dimerization and self-assembly to combat malaria. Biomaterials, 163, 76-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2018.02.026
  9. Liu, X., Cai, Y., Zhang, Y., Zhang, H., Tian, S., Gong, Y., Song, Q., Chen, X., Ma, X., Wen, Y., Chen, Y., Zeng, J. (2024). Artesunate: A potential drug for the prevention and treatment from hepatitis to hepatocellular carcinoma. Pharmacol Res, 210, 107526. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2024.107526
  10. Chen, L., Wang, J., Ren, Y., Ma, Y., Liu, J., Jiang, H., Liu, C. (2024). Artesunate improves glucose and lipid metabolism in db/db mice by regulating the metabolic profile and the MAPK/PI3K/Akt signalling pathway. Phytomedicine, 126, 155382. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2024.155382
  11. Xia, Y., Tang, Y., Huang, Z., Ke, N., Zheng, Y., Zhuang, W., Zhang, Y., Yin, X., Tu, M., Chen, J., Wang, Y., Huang, Y. (2024). Artesunate-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles resist esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by inducing ferroptosis through inhibiting the AKT/mTOR signaling. Cell Signal, 117, 111108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cellsig.2024.111108
  12. Guo, X., Asthana, P., Zhai, L., Cheng, K.W., Gurung, S., Huang, J., Wu, J., Zhang, Y., Mahato, A.K., Saarma, M., Ustav, M., Kwan, H.Y., Lyu, A., Chan, K.M., Xu, P., Bian, Z.X., Wong, H.L.X. (2024). Artesunate treats obesity in male mice and non-human primates through GDF15/GFRAL signalling axis. Nat Commun, 15(1), 1034. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45452-3
  13. Intakhan, N., Saeung, A., Rodrigues Oliveira, S.M., Pereira, M.L., Chanmol, W. (2024). Synergistic effects of artesunate in combination with amphotericin B and miltefosine against Leishmania infantum: Potential for dose reduction and enhanced therapeutic strategies. Antibiotics, 13(9), 806. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics13090806
  14. Verma, A., Ghosh, S., Salotra, P., Singh, R. (2019). Artemisinin-resistant Leishmania parasite modulates host cell defense mechanism and exhibits altered expression of unfolded protein response genes. Parasitol Res, 118(9), 2705-2713. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-06404-9
  15. Intakhan, N., Siriyasatien, P., Chanmol, W. (2022). Anti-Leishmania activity of artesunate and combination effects with amphotericin B against Leishmania (Mundinia) martiniquensis in vitro. Acta Trop, 226, 106260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2021.106260
  16. Solano-Gálvez, S.G., Gutiérrez-Kobeh, L., Wilkins-Rodríguez, A.A., Vázquez-López, R. (2024). Artemisinin: an anti-Leishmania drug that targets the Leishmania parasite and activates apoptosis of infected cells. Arch Med Res, 55(6), 103041. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arcmed.2024.103041
  17. Crespillo-Andújar, C., Comeche, B., Hamer, D.H., Arevalo-Rodriguez, I., Alvarez-Díaz, N., Zamora, J., Pérez-Molina, J.A. (2022). Use of benznidazole to treat chronic Chagas disease: An updated systematic review with a meta-analysis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 16(5), e0010386. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0010386
  18. Gomes, D.C., Medeiros, T.S., Alves Pereira, E.L., da Silva, J.F.O., de Freitas Oliveira, J.W., Fernandes-Pedrosa, M.F., de Sousa da Silva, M., da Silva-Júnior, A.A. (2023). From benznidazole to new drugs: Nanotechnology contribution in Chagas disease. Int J Mol Sci, 24(18), 13778. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241813778
  19. Gatto, M., Oliveira, L.R.C., De Nuzzi Dias, F., Araújo Júnior, J.P., Lima, C.R.G., Lordelo, E.P., Dos Santos, R.M., Kurokawa, C.S. (2017). Benznidazole affects expression of Th1, Th17 and Treg cytokines during acute experimental Trypanosoma cruzi infection. J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis, 23, 47. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40409-017-0137-4
  20. Voak, A.A., Gobalakrishnapillai, V., Seifert, K., Balczo, E., Hu, L., Hall, B.S., Wilkinson, S.R. (2013). An essential type I nitroreductase from Leishmania major can be used to activate leishmanicidal prodrugs. J Biol Chem, 288(40), 28466-28476. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M113.494781