Raw_Data_Antileishmanial activity of fullerol and its liposomal formulation in experimental models of visceral leishmaniasis.xlsx

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a systemic parasitic disease that leads to high rates of morbidity and mortality in humans
worldwide. There is a great need to develop new drugs and novel strategies to
make chemotherapy for this disease more efficacious and well tolerated. Recent
reports on the immunomodulatory effects and the low toxicity of the spherical
carbon nanostructure fullerol led us to investigate in vitro and in vivo its
antileishmanial activity in free and encapsulated forms in liposomes. When
assayed against intramacrophagic Leishmania
amastigotes, fullerol showed a dose-dependent reduction of the infection index with
IC50 of 0.042 mg/mL. When given daily by i.p. route for 20 days
(0.05 mg/kg/d) in a murine model of acute VL, fullerol promoted significant
reduction in the liver parasite load. When evaluated under the liposomal form
at 0.05 and 0.2 mg/kg with 4-days intervals, it was more effective than the free form, with significant parasite
reductions in both liver and spleen. Liposomal fullerol at 0.2 mg/kg promoted the
complete parasite elimination in the liver and significant increase in levels of pro-inflammatory
TNF-α and IFN-g. The antileishmanial activity of the liposomal fullerol
was further confirmed in a chronic model of VL. In conclusion, this work reports
for the first time the antileishmanial activity of fullerol and introduces an
innovative approach for treatment of VL based on the association of this
nanostructure with liposomes.