An Overview of <i>Leishmania</i> In Vitro Cultivation and Implications for Antileishmanial Screenings against Promastigotes

The quest for new drug candidates targeting neglected parasitic diseases has become increasingly urgent over the past decades. Advancements in formulating and optimizing drug delivery systems begin with basic research, including direct assays to evaluate the activity of molecules against parasitic s...

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Main Authors: Virlânio Alves de Oliveira Filho, Marcus Sávio Araujo Garcia, Leticia Bazilio Rosa, Selma Giorgio, Danilo Ciccone Miguel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-10-01
Series:Parasitologia
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6772/4/4/27
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author Virlânio Alves de Oliveira Filho
Marcus Sávio Araujo Garcia
Leticia Bazilio Rosa
Selma Giorgio
Danilo Ciccone Miguel
author_facet Virlânio Alves de Oliveira Filho
Marcus Sávio Araujo Garcia
Leticia Bazilio Rosa
Selma Giorgio
Danilo Ciccone Miguel
author_sort Virlânio Alves de Oliveira Filho
collection DOAJ
description The quest for new drug candidates targeting neglected parasitic diseases has become increasingly urgent over the past decades. Advancements in formulating and optimizing drug delivery systems begin with basic research, including direct assays to evaluate the activity of molecules against parasitic stages maintained in laboratories; i.e., promastigotes. In the context of leishmaniasis, an endemic disease worldwide, the cultivation of <i>Leishmania</i> parasites can vary significantly across different laboratories. Factors such as culture media composition, pH, supplementation, and temperature can lead to varied drug responses in in vitro activity assays. This study aims to compile the parameters used in <i>Leishmania</i> spp. promastigotes cultivation protocols described in scientific articles published in indexed journals over the past ten years. The data reveal a lack of uniformity among <i>Leishmania</i> culture protocols, suggesting a potential bottleneck in comparing the leishmanicidal potential of in vitro drug candidates reported by different research groups. This condition is crucial to consider, because viability/inhibition assays should begin with fully-grown, healthy promastigote cultures capable of homogeneous division, thereby producing more reproducible results.
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publishDate 2024-10-01
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series Parasitologia
spelling doaj-art-ba75d8bc7ca746c9a189d8318cbd37d82025-08-20T02:57:20ZengMDPI AGParasitologia2673-67722024-10-014430531810.3390/parasitologia4040027An Overview of <i>Leishmania</i> In Vitro Cultivation and Implications for Antileishmanial Screenings against PromastigotesVirlânio Alves de Oliveira Filho0Marcus Sávio Araujo Garcia1Leticia Bazilio Rosa2Selma Giorgio3Danilo Ciccone Miguel4Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Rua Monteiro Lobato, 255, Universidade Estadual de Campinas—UNICAMP, Campinas 13083-862, São Paulo, BrazilPrograma de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Rua Monteiro Lobato, 255, Universidade Estadual de Campinas—UNICAMP, Campinas 13083-862, São Paulo, BrazilPrograma de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Rua Monteiro Lobato, 255, Universidade Estadual de Campinas—UNICAMP, Campinas 13083-862, São Paulo, BrazilPrograma de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Rua Monteiro Lobato, 255, Universidade Estadual de Campinas—UNICAMP, Campinas 13083-862, São Paulo, BrazilPrograma de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Rua Monteiro Lobato, 255, Universidade Estadual de Campinas—UNICAMP, Campinas 13083-862, São Paulo, BrazilThe quest for new drug candidates targeting neglected parasitic diseases has become increasingly urgent over the past decades. Advancements in formulating and optimizing drug delivery systems begin with basic research, including direct assays to evaluate the activity of molecules against parasitic stages maintained in laboratories; i.e., promastigotes. In the context of leishmaniasis, an endemic disease worldwide, the cultivation of <i>Leishmania</i> parasites can vary significantly across different laboratories. Factors such as culture media composition, pH, supplementation, and temperature can lead to varied drug responses in in vitro activity assays. This study aims to compile the parameters used in <i>Leishmania</i> spp. promastigotes cultivation protocols described in scientific articles published in indexed journals over the past ten years. The data reveal a lack of uniformity among <i>Leishmania</i> culture protocols, suggesting a potential bottleneck in comparing the leishmanicidal potential of in vitro drug candidates reported by different research groups. This condition is crucial to consider, because viability/inhibition assays should begin with fully-grown, healthy promastigote cultures capable of homogeneous division, thereby producing more reproducible results.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6772/4/4/27experimental chemotherapyin vitro culture<i>Leishmania</i>promastigotes
spellingShingle Virlânio Alves de Oliveira Filho
Marcus Sávio Araujo Garcia
Leticia Bazilio Rosa
Selma Giorgio
Danilo Ciccone Miguel
An Overview of <i>Leishmania</i> In Vitro Cultivation and Implications for Antileishmanial Screenings against Promastigotes
Parasitologia
experimental chemotherapy
in vitro culture
<i>Leishmania</i>
promastigotes
title An Overview of <i>Leishmania</i> In Vitro Cultivation and Implications for Antileishmanial Screenings against Promastigotes
title_full An Overview of <i>Leishmania</i> In Vitro Cultivation and Implications for Antileishmanial Screenings against Promastigotes
title_fullStr An Overview of <i>Leishmania</i> In Vitro Cultivation and Implications for Antileishmanial Screenings against Promastigotes
title_full_unstemmed An Overview of <i>Leishmania</i> In Vitro Cultivation and Implications for Antileishmanial Screenings against Promastigotes
title_short An Overview of <i>Leishmania</i> In Vitro Cultivation and Implications for Antileishmanial Screenings against Promastigotes
title_sort overview of i leishmania i in vitro cultivation and implications for antileishmanial screenings against promastigotes
topic experimental chemotherapy
in vitro culture
<i>Leishmania</i>
promastigotes
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6772/4/4/27
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