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 <i>in vitro</i> and in <i>vivo</i> its antileishmanial activity in free and encapsulated forms in liposomes. When assayed against intramacrophagic <i>Leishmania</i> 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.