Ramos TD, Silva JD, da Fonseca-Martins AM, da Silveira Pratti JE, Firmino-Cruz L, Maciel-Oliveira D, Dos-Santos JS, Tenorio JIN, de Araujo AF, Freire-de-Lima CG, Diaz BL, Cruz FF, Rocco PRM, de Matos Guedes HL. Combined therapy with adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells and meglumine antimoniate controls lesion development and parasite load in murine cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania amazonensis. Stem Cell Res Ther. 2020 Aug 31;11(1):374.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13287-020-01889-z

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Leishmaniasis is a neglected disease caused by Leishmania spp. One of its characteristics is an imbalance of host immune responses to foster parasite survival. In this setting, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) may be a viable therapeutic alternative, given their well-established immunomodulatory potential. In this study, we compared the effects of therapy with bone marrow (BM)- and adipose tissue (AD)-derived MSCs in leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania amazonensis in C57BL/6 mice. After determining the most effective MSC source, we then combined these cells with meglumine antimoniate (a pentavalent antimonial commonly used for the treatment of leishmaniasis) to treat the infected mice.