Anti-Leishmanial and Immunomodulatory Effects of Epigallocatechin 3-O-Gallate on Leishmania tropica: Apoptosis and Gene Expression Profiling

Background: pentavalent antimonials such as meglumine antimoniate (ma, glucantime), are the first-line treatment against leishmaniasis, but at present, they have basically lost their efficacy. this study was aimed to explore epigallocatechin 3-o-gallate (egcg), alone or in combination with ma against leishmania tropica stages. methods: all experiments were carried out in triplicate using colorimetric assay, macrophage model, flow cytometry and quantitative real-time pcr. this experimental study was carried out in 2017 in leishmaniasis research center, kerman university of medical sciences, kerman, iran. results: promastigotes and amastigotes were more susceptible to egcg than ma alone, but the effect was more profound when used in combination. egcg exhibited high antioxidant level with a remarkable potential to induce apoptosis. furthermore, the results showed that the level of gene expression pertaining to th-1 was significantly up-regulated (p<0.001). conclusion: egcg demonstrated a potent anti-leishmanial effect alone and more enhanced lethal activity in combination. the principal mode of action entails the stimulation of a synergistic response and up-regulation of the immunomodulatory role towards th-1 response against l. tropica.