In Vitro Efficacy of Sumac (Rhus coriaria) Extracts Against Leishmania Tropicana and Leishmania Mexicana: A Preliminary Study from Turkiye

Abstract

Objective: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a common clinical manifestation of leishmaniasis. Here, the in vitro anti-leishmanial efficacy of sumac extracts was tested for the first time on both Leishmania (L.) tropica and L. mexicana isolates using Rhus (R.) coriaria plant, which was collected in western Anatolia. Materials and Methods: The dried and powdered fruits of R. coriaria were macerated in acetone, ethyl alcohol, and ethyl alcohol-water mixture at room temperature for two days. The pooled extracts were evaporated under reduced pressure and lyophilized form for the study. Isolates of L. tropica and L. mexicana in Acibadem University R&D Laboratory were initially thawed and cultivated in NNN medium. Assessments were made using the haemocytometer and MTT methods at 24 and 48 h, compared with meglumine antimoniate as the control group. Results: For L. tropica, the effective concentration ranges of the extracts and the infusion were found to be 578.13-289.06 pg/mL and 289.06-144.53 pg/mL, respectively. For L. mexicana, the ranges were found to be 289.06-144.53 pg/mL and 144.53-72.27 pg/mL, respectively. It was shown that all extracts of R. coriaria were effective against both L. tropica and L. mexicana in higher doses, compared to meglumine antimoniate. Conclusion: An interesting finding was that higher sumac doses were required to eliminate L. tropica of the Old World, compared to L. mexicana of the New World. In addition, the aqueous alcohol extract showed efficacy that lasted for 48 h in half doses compared to others in L. tropica. Further assessments for both the identification of the active compounds within R. coriaria and their efficacy in vivo are planned.