Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University Veterinary Research Forum 2008-8140 17 6 2026 06 01 Effectiveness of harmaline along with meglumine antimoniate on Leishmania major 423 430 737240 10.30466/vrf.2025.2054947.4685 EN Mahin Ghafourzadeh Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran 0000-0003-3364-1157 Mohammad Mirzaie Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran 0000-0003-1829-1478 Iraj Sharifi Leishmaniasis Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran 0000-0002-6894-6834 Alireza Keyani Leishmaniasis Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran Ehsan Salarkiya Leishmaniasis Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran 0000-0001-6125-5101 Journal Article 2025 03 03 Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by Leishmania species and transmitted via sandflies. Current control strategies against reservoir hosts and vectors are not eco-friendly. Using harmaline (HA) from Peganum harmala, and meglumine antimoniate (MA) could be a promising therapy. The study aimed to explore the potential treatment outcomes and action mechanisms of HA and MA against Leishmania major stages by investigating their effectiveness through molecular docking, anti-leishmanial effects, safety assessment, and apoptotic profile evaluations. According to the molecular docking results, the protein-ligand interaction profiler identified that Bcl-2 interacts with HA mainly through hydrogen bonds, while Bax uses both hydrogen and hydrophobic interactions, indicating a stronger binding of HA to Bax compared to Bcl-2. The HA combined with MA (HA/MA) showed potent anti-leishmanial activity without toxicity. In vitro studies significantly demonstrated that HA inhibited the growth of promastigotes and amastigotes. The HA/MA was more effective in inhibiting parasite growth. Based on the study findings, HA and HA/MA mixture can be considered a viable treatment option for cutaneous Leishmaniasis.

https://vrf.iranjournals.ir/article_737240_9fd448a19f1a7ca9489e273335beecc4.pdf