Anti-Leishmanial Effects of Chitosan-Polyethylene Oxide Nanofibers Containing Berberine: An Applied Model for Leishmania Wound Dressing.

Background: Leishmaniasis is the most important parasitic disease in Iran and is the third highest rate of rural cutaneous leishmaniasis in the world. Chitosan-polyethylene oxide nanocomposite fibers can be a suitable replacement for ordinary bandages. For the first time, in the absence of any published reports, the present in vitro study aimed to evaluate the anti-leishmanial effects of chitosan (CS)-polyethylene oxide (PEO)-berberine nanofibers on Leishmania major .
Methods: The present experimental study was conducted in 2018 in Tehran, Iran. The CS-PEO nanofibers containing berberine, as a natural anti-parasitic agent, were prepared using the electrospinning technique. Biocompatibility and fibroblast proliferation on nanofibers were investigated. In addition, the anti-leishmanial activity of CS-PEO nanofibers in both the promastigote and amastigote stages of Leishmania major was evaluated after parasite vital staining and MTT assay and compared to a control group. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 18.0). Statistically significant differences were determined using the one-way ANOVA. The Duncan and Dunnett post hoc tests were used for within-group comparisons. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The results showed that nanofiber scaffolds with a mean diameter of 77.5±19.5 nm were perfect, regular, bead-free, and non-toxic, on which fibroblast cells grew well and proliferated. In addition, the optical density indicated that berberine 20% (w/v) significantly prevented promastigotes growth (IC ₅₀ =0.24 μg/mL) and amastigotes death (IC ₅₀ =0.91 μg/mL) compared with other concentrations and the control group.
Conclusion: The study on the cytotoxic effects showed that CS-PEO-berberine nanofibers had strong lethal effects on Leishmania major in promastigote and amastigote stages in vitro . Further studies are required to investigate the effects of this nanofiber on leishmanial ulcers in laboratory animals and clinical cases.
(Copyright: © Iranian Journal of Medical Sciences.)