Anti-leishmaniasis activity of Rhamnus cathatica on amastigote stages of Leishmania major

Leishmaniasis is one of the most important parasitic diseases in the world. Due to the increasing prevalence of this disease and the increasing reports of glucantime resistance, it seems necessary to study and find a safe and natural alternative drug. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-leishmanial effects of methanolic, hydroalcoholic and chloroform extracts of Rhamnus cathartica (R. cathartica) on Leishmania major (L. major) parasite in vitro. The L. major parasite was prepared from Leishmaniasis research center from Tehran University of Medical Sciences and cultured in RPMI-1640. The effect of different concentrations on Leishmania parasite was evaluated after 12, 24 and 48 hours using viability staining and MTT assay. In this study, methanolic, hydroalcoholic and chloroform extracts of R. cathartica in all concentrations had acceptable antiparasitic effects against L. major parasite and among different extracts, chloroform extract was the most effective treatment. The concentration of 800 μg / ml in all extracts after 24 and 48 hours showed a better effect than glucantime. Considering the lethality of chloroform extract of R. cathartica plant on L. major parasite and better effect than positive controls, it can be concluded that the above compounds can be a suitable candidate for the treatment of leishmaniasis, of course, after supplementary studies.