Evaluation of Pakistani Medicinal Plants used traditionally to treat Leishmaniasis

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is caused by various species of the protozoal parasite Leishmania, affectingapproximately ten million individuals globally [1] CL, which is mostly caused by Leishmania tropica, is most prevalentin Pakistan and is expanding throughout the country as a result of the migration of several million people. About ninetypercent cases of CL have been reported from all the provinces of Pakistan. Pentavalent antimonial is the standardtreatment, but these drugs are very expensive and has many adverse effects when used parenterally. Existingchemotherapies can be replaced by the reasonable research for new anti-leishmanial drugs. A literature reviewdisplayed that no natural compound has been approved against leishmaniasis.Medicinal plants which are using traditionally for Leishmania were collected from different areas of Pakistan. TheMethanolic extracts and derived fractions were formed following standard extraction and fractionation thecniques. Allthe crude extracts were tested for the presence of important secondary metabolites. All extracts were evaluated for antileishmanial activity using Leishmania tropica promastigotes.The extracts of three medicinal plants Citrulluscolocynthis (L.) chrad (IC50 12.25 µg/mL), Juniperus M. Bieb (IC50 11.97 µg/mL) and Asparagus gracilis L (IC50 10.68)(µg/mL) show significant activity and thus recommended for further isolation of compounds. Bioassay-guidedfractionation and isolation will be carried out according to standard extraction and chromatographic techniques. Finally,the preliminary and mechanistic antileishmanial studies of pure compounds will be conducted to discover costeffective and safe drugs to public suffering from CL in Pakistan and across the globe.