Effect of topical gel prepared with hydroalcoholic extract of Echinacea purpurea on treatment of Leishmania major-induced cutaneous leishmaniasis in BALB/C mice

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effect of alcoholic extract of Echinacea purpurea as
a topical gel for the treatment of Leishmania major‑induced cutaneous leishmaniasis(CL)
in BALB/c mice. Materials and Methods: Leishmania major was inoculated into the
tail base of 28 BALB/c mice and the mice were then assigned into four groups, with
seven mice in each group. Hydroalcoholic extract of Echinacea purpurea was prepared
and 3% carboxymethylcellulose was used for the topical gels. After the development of
skin lesions, the gel base without drug and 10% and 20% Echinacea gel, respectively, were
applied for the treatment of skin lesions in three groups of mice for 20 days, two times
per day. The forth group remained as the control without receiving any treatment. Sizes
of the lesions were frequently measured and recorded. The collected data were analyzed
by SPSS using the Kruskal‑Wallis one‑way analysis of variance test. Results: The sizes
of the lesions at the tail base of BALB/c mice were found to be increasing in both the
treated and untreated mice. Although there were differences in the mean size of the
lesions between the control group and those that received various concentration of
Echinacea gel, (10% or 20%) the differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05).
Conclusion: The results showed that topical 10% and 20% gel of Echinacea purpurea
extract is not considerably effective in the treatment or control of CL.