A review of the effect of medicinal plant extracts on Leishmania major in vitro and in vivo conditions in Iran

Background: Leishmaniasis is one of the most common parasitic diseases in tropical and subtropical regions of the world and is considered a threat to public health. Iran is also one of the most endemic areas of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the world. The causative species of cutaneous leishmaniasis is a protozoan from the Kinetoplastida order, which in Iran is Leishmania major (rural type) and Leishmania tropica (urban type). More than 70% of leishmaniasis in Iran is Leishmania major. The reservoir of the disease is humans in the urban type and field rodents in the rural type, and the vector is the female mosquito of the genus Phlebotomus. Methods: This study is organized as a review, in which, by searching the keywords cutaneous leishmaniasis, Leishmania major, plants effective against leishmaniasis in Iran, scientific-research articles, Google Scholar search engine information, Pubmed and Science Direct databases, the available books in this field were analyzed. Results: 5-valent antimoan compounds are used for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Of course, not all patients need treatment because, in a large number of people, the lesion heals by itself, and due to the side effects of antimoan compounds, it is better to use fewer of these drugs. Therefore, the desire of patients and therapists to use herbal compounds has increased. Conclusion: Although cutaneous leishmaniasis is not usually associated with high Although cutaneous leishmaniasis is not usually associated with high mortality, the rate of infection is very high and causes malformed skin lesions that remain for more than a year in some cases, and even with standard treatment, scars remain. It remains forever and causes emotional pain for the patient. Therefore, domestic researchers have provided research on herbal treatments against Leishmaniasis, considering the history of traditional treatments in Iran and the scattered vegetation in the country.