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

The study explored the effectiveness of combining adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (AD-MSCs) with the drug meglumine antimoniate in treating murine cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania amazonensis. In vitro, AD-MSCs co-cultured with infected macrophages led to a lower parasite load and increased nitric oxide production compared to bone marrow-derived MSCs (BM-MSCs), and improved wound healing in fibroblasts. In vivo, AD-MSCs alone partially controlled lesion development but did not significantly reduce parasite load. However, the combination of AD-MSCs with meglumine antimoniate resulted in a significant reduction in both lesion size and parasite load, with a slight increase in interleukin-10 (IL-10) production and no change in regulatory T cell percentages. The study concluded that this combination therapy could be a potential alternative treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis. The specific number of mice used in the study was not mentioned in the summary.