Shirian Sadegh, Cholcheh Morteza Norouzi, Dehkordi Saeed Habibian, Moghadam Behnam Bakhtiari
Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran.
Shiraz Molecular Pathology Research Center, Dr Daneshbod Path Lab, Shiraz, Iran.
Vet Med Sci. 2025 Sep;11(5):e70578. doi: 10.1002/vms3.70578.
The bioactive compounds derived from plants offer promising avenues for discovering new treatments for various types of leishmaniasis. Approximately 22 alkaloids have been identified in different parts of the barberry plant, particularly in the roots. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of barberry (Berberis vulgaris) on the treatment of experimental cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) caused by Leishmania major in a BALB/c mouse by using pathological, immunohistochemical, and clinical methods. Thirty BALB/c mice, aged 6-8 weeks, were purchased from the Razi Animal Laboratory at Karaj Institute and allowed for adaptation by 1 week. The mice were divided into three groups including control, treatment, and vehicle groups. Animals of both treatment and vehicle groups received a subcutaneous injection of 0.1 mL culture medium containing 2 × 10 promastigotes at the base of their tails. The vehicle and treatment groups received Vaseline alone and barberry root extract mixed (as ointment) in Vaseline, respectively. The intact mice were used as the control group without any intervention. After 32-35 days, the wounds were formed at the injection sites. The extract ointment was applied to treat the wounds three times daily for 28 days. The wound diameters were measured on days 7, 14, 21, and 28 post-treatments, and the skin tissue samples were investigated using haematoxylin and eosin staining. Clinical evaluations revealed that the wound size was significantly decreased in the treatment group compared to the controls (p < 0.05). The treatment group also exhibited lower Leishmania parasite loads than other groups. Unlike the expression of TGF-β, the mean level of IL-1 and IL-6 was significantly increased (p < 0.001) in the treatment group compared to other groups. These findings suggest that Berberis vulgaris can effectively improve skin lesions caused by L. major by modulating inflammatory responses in the BLAB/c mouse model.
植物来源的生物活性化合物为发现各类利什曼病的新疗法提供了有前景的途径。在伏牛花植物的不同部位，尤其是根部，已鉴定出约22种生物碱。本研究旨在通过病理、免疫组织化学和临床方法，研究伏牛花（小檗）对BALB/c小鼠实验性皮肤利什曼病（CL）的治疗效果，该病由硕大利什曼原虫引起。从卡拉季研究所的拉齐动物实验室购买了30只6 - 8周龄的BALB/c小鼠，并使其适应1周。将小鼠分为三组，包括对照组、治疗组和赋形剂组。治疗组和赋形剂组的动物均在其尾根部皮下注射0.1 mL含有2×10前鞭毛体的培养基。赋形剂组和治疗组分别单独接受凡士林以及凡士林混合（作为软膏）的伏牛花根提取物。完整的小鼠用作未进行任何干预的对照组。32 - 35天后，在注射部位形成伤口。将提取物软膏每天三次应用于伤口治疗，持续28天。在治疗后第7、14、21和28天测量伤口直径，并使用苏木精和伊红染色研究皮肤组织样本。临床评估显示，与对照组相比，治疗组的伤口大小显著减小（p < 0.05）。治疗组的利什曼原虫寄生虫载量也低于其他组。与转化生长因子-β的表达不同，与其他组相比，治疗组中白细胞介素-1和白细胞介素-6的平均水平显著升高（p < 0.001）。这些发现表明，在BALB/c小鼠模型中，小檗可通过调节炎症反应有效改善由硕大利什曼原虫引起的皮肤病变。
