anti leishmanial effect of plantago psyllium (ovate) and white vinegar on leishmania major lesion in balb/c mice

Background: leishmania major is the etiologic agent of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in iran, and glucantime injectionis currently used for its treatment. this study aimed to evaluate the anti-leishmanial effect of topical plantagopsyllium and white vinegar in l. major infected balb/c mice.methods: thirty infected mice were divided into five groups as follows: group 1: treated with the combination of ovatapowder and white vinegar, group 2: treated with glucantime, group 3: treated with white vinegar, group 4: treated withthe combination of ovata powder and water, and group 5: without any treatment. all the groups were treated for 18days. lesion size was measured, and final smears were prepared for microscopic examination.results: the findings indicated that the difference in the mean areas of the ulcers in all the groups before and aftertreatment was not significant, except for the second (glucantime) and third (vinegar) groups. also, the results showedthat in the first, second, third, and fourth group, 6 (60%), 4 (80%), 3 (60%), and 2 (40%) mice were healed, respectively.however, ulcers remained in all the five mice of the control group.conclusion: the combination of ovata powder and white vinegar has been traditionally used to treat leishmanial lesionsin iran. it seems the most anti-leishmanial effect is related to vinegar and supported by plantago. the route of treatmentwith this combination is very simple and painless in comparison with injection. thus, further studies on this issue couldhelp to design more effective and easy-to-use drugs.