Wijnant, Gert JanVan Bocxlaer, KatrienYardley, VanessaHarris, AndyAlavijeh, MoSilva-Pedrosa, RitaAntunes, SandraMauricio, IsabelMurdan, SudaxshinaCroft, Simon L.2021-05-032021-05-032018-08-012211-3207PURE: 4053015PURE UUID: 86c34a2b-cdb3-4e56-b31c-40b52890ceecScopus: 85045475620PubMed: 29673889ORCID: /0000-0002-7748-4643/work/49744517ORCID: /0000-0002-5512-9093/work/70243425WOS: 000438125200008http://hdl.handle.net/10362/116842Fungisome® (F), a liposomal amphotericin B (AmB) product, is marketed in India as a safe and effective therapeutic for the parasitic infection visceral leishmaniasis. Its potential in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), a disfiguring form of the disease affecting the skin, is currently unknown. Here, we report the evaluation of the efficacy of F in the Leishmania major BALB/c murine model of CL, including a head-to-head comparison with the standard liposomal AmB formulation AmBisome® (A). Upon intravenous administration at dose levels of 5, 10 and 15 mg/kg of body weight (on days 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8), F showed clear signs of toxicity (at 15 mg/kg), while A did not. After complete treatment (day 10), the tolerated doses of 5 and 10 mg/kg F had significant antileishmanial activity (ED50 = 4.0 and 12.8 mg/kg for qPCR-based parasite load and lesion size, respectively), although less than that of A at identical doses (ED50 = 3.0 and 8.8 mg/kg). The efficacy of F was inferior compared to A because lower levels of the active agent AmB accumulated within the infected lesion. In conclusion, despite possibly being less safe and efficacious than A at equivalent doses, the moderate in vivo activity of F could indicate a role in the systemic pharmacotherapy of CL.6563177engAmphotericin BCutaneous leishmaniasisEfficacyLiposomePharmacokineticsParasitologyInfectious DiseasesPharmacology (medical)SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-beingjournal article10.1016/j.ijpddr.2018.04.001https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85045475620