Mirahmadi H, Mehravaran A, Safdari Adimi A. In Vitro Antileishmanial Activity of Calotropis procera Extract on Leishmania major. Res Mol Med (RMM) 2026; 14 (1) URL: http://rmm.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-643-fa.html
In Vitro Antileishmanial Activity of Calotropis procera Extract on Leishmania major. Research in Molecular Medicine. 1404; 14 (1)
Background: Pentavalent antimonial agents remain the primary therapeutic option for leishmaniasis; however, accumulating evidence highlights significant adverse effects, toxicity concerns, and emerging drug resistance associated with these compounds. Accordingly, the exploration of alternative therapeutic agents, particularly from natural sources, has gained increasing attention. The present study aimed to investigate the in vitro antileishmanial activity of Calotropis procera extract against both promastigote and amastigote forms of Leishmania major. Methods: Methanolic extract of C. procera flowers was obtained through the maceration technique. The antiproliferative activity of the extract on promastigotes was quantified using the colorimetric 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay to assess cell viability and growth inhibition. Results: MTT assay findings demonstrated that C. procera extract markedly inhibited the proliferation of L. major promastigotes. The calculated IC50 value for the extract alone was 387.91 μg/mL, whereas the combination of C. procera extract with meglumine antimoniate exhibited enhanced inhibitory activity, yielding an IC50 value of 211.26 μg/mL. Conclusion: The observed inhibitory effects suggest that C. procera possesses promising antileishmanial properties and may represent a potential natural candidate for the development of alternative therapeutic strategies against leishmaniasis.