Abstract
Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a major public health problem in tropical and subtropical countries worldwide. Treatment of CL by pentavalent antimony compounds remains a challenge because of limited efficacy, toxic side effects and drug resistance. In the present study, in vitro antileishmanial and cytotoxic activity of garlic extracts against promastigote forms of Leishmania tropica and murine macrophages was evaluated by colorimetric cell viability (MTT) assay. The results revealed that the methanolic and aqueous extracts of garlic were effective in inhibiting promastigote growth of L. tropica with IC50 (50 % inhibitory concentrations) values 12.3 and 19.2 µg/ml, respectively. In addition, methanolic and aqueous extracts of garlic showed low cytotoxicity against murine macrophages with CC50 (cytotoxicity concentration for 50 % of cells) values 291.4 and 348.2 µg/ml, respectively. Findings of present study were the first step in the search for new antileishmanial drugs. However, further works are required to evaluate exact effect of these extracts in volunteer human subjects.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abdel-Salam AM, Ammar N, Abdel-Hamid AZ (2008) Effectiveness of probiotic Labneh supplemented with garlic or onion oil against Schistosoma mansoni in infected mice. Int J Dairy Sci 3(2):97–104
Behnia M, Haghighi A, Komeilizadeh H, Tabaei SJ, Abadi A (2008) In vitro antiamoebic activity of Iranian Allium sativum in comparison with metronidazole against Entamoeba histolytica. Iran J Parasitol 3(4):32–38
Cai Y (1991) Anticryptococcal and antiviral properties of garlic. Cardiol Pract 9:11
Croft SL, Sundar S, Fairlamb AH (2006) Drug resistance in leishmaniasis. Clin Microbiol Rev 19(1):11–26
Desjeux P (2004) Leishmaniasis: current situation and new perspectives. Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 27:305–318
Eja ME, Asikong BE, Abriba C, Arikpo GE, Anwan EE, Enyi-Idoh KH (2007) A comparative assessment of the antimicrobial effects of garlic (Allium sativum) and antibiotics on diarrheagenic organisms. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health 38(2):343–348
Ghannoum MA (1990) Inhibition of Candida adhesion to buccal epithelial cells by an aqueous extract of Allium sativum (garlic). J Appl Bacteriol 68:163–169
Harris JC, Plummer S, Turner MP, Lloyd D (2000) The microaerophilic flagellate Giardia intestinalis: Allium sativum (garlic) is an effective antigiardial. J Microbiol 146:3119–3127
Harris JC, Cottrell SL, Plummer S, Lloyd D (2001) Antimicrobial properties of Allium sativum (garlic). Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 57:282–286
Mahmoudvand H, Sharifi I, Harandi MF, Shokohi M, Shakibaie M, Riabi TR et al (2014a) Anti-leishmania effects of methotrexate (MTX) alone and incombination with meglumine antimoniate (MA) against Iranian isolate of sensitive and MA-resistant Leishmania tropica: an in vitro assay. Asian Pacific J Trop Med 4:412–420
Mahmoudvand H, Sharififar F, Sharifi I, Ezatpour B, Harandi MF, Makki, Jahanbakhsh S (2014b) In Vitro inhibitory effect of Berberis vulgaris (Berberidaceae) and its main component, berberine against different Leishmania species. Iran J Parasitol 9(1):28–36
Martin KW, Ernst E (2003) Herbal medicines for treatment of bacterial infections: a review of controlled clinical trials. J Antimicrob Chemother 51:241–246
Meng Y, Lu D, Guo N, Reed E, Zhou GZ, Zhang LB (1993) Anti-HCMV effect of garlic components. Virol Sin 8:147–150
Milner JA (1996) Garlic: its anticarcinogenic and antitumorigenic properties. Nutr Rev 54:82–86
Moazeni M, Nazer A (2010) In vitro Effectiveness of Garlic (Allium sativum) Extract on Scolices of Hydatid Cyst. World J Surg 34:2677–2681
Rocha LG, Almeida JR, Macedo RO, Barbosa-Filho JM (2005) A review of natural products with antileishmanial activity. Phytomedicine 12:514–535
Ross ZM, Ogara EA, Hill DJ, Sleightholme HV, Maslin DJ (2001) Antimicrobial properties of garlic oil against human enteric bacteria: evaluation of methodologies and comparisons with garlic oil sulfides and garlic powder. Appl Environ Microbiol 67(1):475–480
Sharifi F, Sharifi I, Zarean M, Parizi MH, Aflatoonian M, Harandi MF et al (2012) Spatial distribution and molecular identification of Leishmania species from endemic foci of South-eastern Iran. Iran J Parasitol 7(1):45–52
Soffar SA, Mokhtar GM (1991) Evaluation of the antiparasitic effect of aqueous garlic (Allium sativum) extract in hymenolepiasis nana and giardiasis. J Egypt Soc Parasitol 21:497–502
Wabwoba B, Anjili CO, Ngeiywa M, Ngure PK, Kigondu EM, Ingonga J, Makwail J (2010) Experimental chemotherapy with Allium sativum (Liliaceae) methanolic extract in rodents infected with Leishmania major and Leishmania donovani. J Vector Borne Dis 47:160–167
Waldman RH (1993) Demonstration of antiviral activity of garlic extract against human cytomegalovirus in vitro. Chin Med J 106:93–96
Weber ND, Anderson DO, North JA, Murray BK, Lawson LD, Hughes BG (1992) In vitro virucidal activity of Allium sativum (garlic) extract and compounds. Planta Med 58:417–423
Weninger B, Robledo S, Arango GJ, Deharo E, Arango R, Munoz V, Callapa J, Lobstein A, Anton R (2001) Antiprotozoal activities of Colombian plants. J Ethnopharmacol 78:193–200
World Health Organization (2010) Control of the leishmaniasis. WHO (Technical Report Series 949) Geneva, p 5–12
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Ms. Razieh Tavakil for cultivation of promastigotes of L. tropica.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest in this study.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mahmoudvand, H., Sepahvand, P., Jahanbakhsh, S. et al. Evaluation of the antileishmanial and cytotoxic effects of various extracts of garlic (Allium sativum) on Leishmania tropica . J Parasit Dis 40, 423–426 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-014-0520-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-014-0520-9