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Updated: Nov 29, 2025
In Vivo Infection with Leishmania amazonensis to Evaluate Parasite Virulence in Mice
Published on: February 20, 2020
Metformin promotes susceptibility to experimental Leishmania braziliensis infection
Filipe Rocha Lima1,2, Lais de Melo Ferreira1,3, Tainá Alves Malta1,3
1Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Instituto Gonçalo Moniz, Laboratório Avançado de Saúde Pública, Salvador, BA, Brasil.
Background:
Metformin (MET) is a hypoglycemic drug used for the treatment of diabetes, despite interference in host immunity against microorganisms. Cutaneous infection caused by pathogens such as Leishmania braziliensis (Lb), the agent responsible for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Brazil, represents an interesting model in which to evaluate the effects associated with MET.
Objective:
To evaluate the modulatory effect of MET in Lb infection.
Material And Methods:
Experimental study of Lb infection and MET treatment in BALB/c mice and Raw 264.7 macrophages.
Findings:
MET treatment interfered with lesion kinetics, increased parasite load and reduced macrophage proliferation. Low concentrations of MET in Lb culture allow for the maintenance of stationary parasite growth phase. Lb-infected cells treated with MET exhibited increased parasite load. While both MET and Lb infection alone promoted the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), reduced levels of ROS were seen in MET-treated Lb-infected macrophages.
Main Conclusion:
Experimental treatment with MET interfered with the kinetics of cutaneous ulceration, increased Lb parasite load, altered ROS production and modulated cellular proliferation. Our experimental results indicate that MET interfere with the evolution of CL.
