the study of p-glycoprotein a, g-glutamylcysteine synthetase 1, and aquaglyceroporin 1 genes expression in non-healing zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis cases

Background and aims: regarding the increasing numbers of clinical antimonial-resistant leishmaniasis, understanding the reasons for drug resistance is helpful. this study aimed to find the expression level of the genes related to resistance, p-glycoprotein a (pgpa), g-glutamylcysteine synthetase 1 (gsh1), and aquaglyceroporin 1 (aqp1) in antimonial-resistant clinical isolates. methods: samples were isolated from leishmaniasis ulcers of 10 non-healing patients and the species were identified by the nestedpolymerase chain reaction (pcr) method. in vitro experiments were performed using the amastigote-macrophage model by j774 cell line, and in vivo studies were conducted by animal model, the balb/c mice. finally, the values of genes expression were determined by quantitative-reverse transcription (q-rt) real-time pcr method and then compared with non-resistant leishmania major (mrho/ir/75/er). results: molecular identification showed that all isolated protozoa were l. major. the isolated samples from clinical resistant patients represented no increase in expression in the tested resistance genes (p > 0.05). finally, it was found that the lack of improvements in patients was not associated with the increased expression of resistance genes. conclusion: in general, no inherent resistance was observed in the tested samples neither a correlation between the healing of lesions and the level of genes expression.