Ultrastructural study on the antileishmanial effect of 1,2-dimethyl-3-methoxy carbonyl-4-(2-nitro-4,5-dimethoxyphenyl) pyrrole in hamsters.

An ultrastructure study was carried out on the effect of a standard drug sodium stibogluconate and a newly identified active CDRI compound 87/305 [1,2-dimethyl-3-methoxy carbonyl-4-(2-nitro-4,5-dimethoxyphenyl) pyrrole] on amastigotes of Leishmania donovani in macrophage cells of spleen of infected hamsters. While Na-stibogluconate exerted its effect by activating the digestion capacity of host macrophages, compound 87/305 was directly lethal to the parasites without, exerting any effect on the host cells.