Improvement of In Vitro and In Vivo Antileishmanial Activities of 2′,6′-Dihydroxy-4′-Methoxychalcone by Entrapment in Poly(d,l-Lactide) Nanoparticles

The inhibition of intracellular Leishmania amazonensis growth by 2′,6′-dihydroxy-4′-methoxychalcone (DMC) isolated from Piper aduncum was further enhanced after encapsulation of DMC in polymeric nanoparticles. Encapsulated DMC also showed increased antileishmanial activity in infected BALB/c mice, as evidenced by significantly smaller lesions and fewer parasites in the lesions.