title: In vitro activity of Arbutus unedo against Leishmania tropica promastigotes.
abstract: Pentavalent antimonials are the first choice for the treatment of anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) in health centers in Turkey, however in rural areas, traditional plants may be preferred for the treatment of lesions. In recent years a number of papers are published related to the natural products especially plant derivates. Our aim is to investigate the antileishmanial effect of Arbutus unedo which is a wild plant mainly grown in maquis and rocky places of the seabord in South Europe. In the present study, the ethanolic, water and n-hexane extracts from the leaves of Arbutus unedo were originally tested in vitro against Leishmania tropica promastigotes. The ethanol extract of Arbutus unedo leaves at the concentrations of 100, 250, 500 microg/ml were found to be more effective than the other extracts (p:0.000). Our study showed that the ethanolic extract of Arbutus unedo leaves can be a promising antileishmanial agent and further experiments are needed.
authors: Ege University Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacognosy, Izmir, Turkey.
authors: Bijen
authors: B
authors: Kivçak
authors: Tuba
authors: T
authors: Mert
authors: Hatice
authors: H
authors: Ertabaklar
authors: I Cüneyt
authors: IC
authors: Balcioğlu
authors: Seray
authors: S
authors: Ozensoy Töz
mesh_terms: D029791:Ericaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007895:Leishmania tropica / Q000187:drug effects*; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000469:parasitology; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts