Nanotechnology-aided diagnosis, treatment and prevention of leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis is a prevalent parasitic infection belonging to neglected tropical diseases. It is caused by Leishmania protozoan parasites transmitted by sandflies and it is responsible for increased morbidity/mortality especially in low- and middle-income countries. The lack of cheap, portable, easy to use diagnostic tools exhibiting high efficiency and specificity impede the early diagnosis of the disease. Furthermore, the typical anti-leishmanial agents are cytotoxic, characterized by low patient compliance and require long-term regimen and usually hospitalization. In addition, due to the intracellular nature of the disease, the existing treatments exhibit low bioavailability resulting in low therapeutic efficacy. The above, combined with the common development of resistance against the anti-leishmanial agents, denote the urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies. Furthermore, the lack of effective prophylactic vaccines hinders the control of the disease. The development of nanoparticle-based biosensors and nanocarrier-aided treatment and vaccination strategies could advance the diagnosis, therapy and prevention of leishmaniasis. The present review intends to highlight the various nanotechnology-based approaches pursued until now to improve the detection of Leishmania species in biological samples, decrease the side effects and increase the efficacy of anti-leishmanial drugs, and induce enhanced immune responses, specifically focusing on the outcome of their preclinical and clinical evaluation.