title: Influence of long-term treatment with pravastatin on the survival, evolution of cutaneous lesion and weight of animals infected by Leishmania amazonensis.
abstract: The high toxicity of current drugs for treatment of leishmaniasis is a major hindrance for controlling the disease. Pravastatin is a well-known drug with anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties that may modulate host defense mechanisms against Leishmania. We evaluated the influence of prolonged pravastatin treatment on the survival of Leishmania amazonensis-infected animals (BALB/c, C57BL6 mice and Syrian hamsters), including weekly measurement of cutaneous lesions (footpad thickness) and weight. Pravastatin improved survival of Leishmania-infected BALB/c mice but not of infected C57BL6 mice or hamsters. On the 50th week of follow-up, 71% of pravastatin-treated Leishmania-infected BALB/c mice were alive against 29% of control group (p<0.01). Low footpad thickness was found on BALB/c pravastatin treated mice from the 14th week (p<0.05), and 20th week onward for C57BL6 treated mice. Pravastatin treatment decreased weight loss in Leishmania-infected C57BL6 mice and Syrian hamsters, but not infected BALB/c mice. Our results points to beneficial effects of pravastatin on the evolution of the disease in the murine leishmaniasis model.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cellular Immunology, Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, DF 70.910-900, Brazil. cscarlos@unb.br
authors.forename: Carlos S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Kückelhaus
authors.forename: Selma A S
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Kückelhaus
authors.forename: Maria Imaculada
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Muniz-Junqueira
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001835:Body Weight; D006224:Cricetinae; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007894:Leishmania mexicana / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D017035:Pravastatin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D017035:Pravastatin