Background: Recent circumstantial evidences are suggesting that an increasing number of Iranian patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis are unresponsive to meglumine antimoniate (Glucantime®). Pistacia atlantica is native plant in Iran (central, western, and eastern regions). Gum obtained Pistacia atlantica has been reported to possess considerable in vitro antimicrobial activity. In this study, we aimed to investigate antileishmanial activity of P. atlantica.
Methods: Male BALB/c mice were inoculated subcutaneously 2 ´ 10⁶ L. major Promastigotes (MHROM/IR/75/ER) at the base of tail in 2007. Mice were randomly divided into 3 groups. in group 1 Glucantime® was administered to the BALB/c mice in regimen of 60 mg per kg of body weight for 28 days by intraperitoneal injections per day, in group 2 the gum of P. atlantica var. Kurdica were tested by rubbing of local lesions for 28 days, group 3 infected but non-treated. Comparisons of treated groups and untreated group were done by two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Results: Topically rubbing administration of gum obtained P. atlantica var. kurdica daily for 28 days like Glucantime® decreased skin lesion size in the BALB/c mice infected with L.major compared with that in the control (P<0.01). Treatment BALB/c mice with gum obtained P. atlantica var. kurdica and Glucantime® causes decrease number of parasitologicaly positive mice (P< 0.05).
Conclusion: Our results show that gum obtained P. atlantica var. kurdica can be used for controlling cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L.major and inhibiting development of cutaneous leishmaniasis lesions.