Introduction: The treatment of leishmaniasis ischallenging, given the difficulties in drug administration and resistance. Therefore, we chose to test the efficacy of miltefosine combined with pentoxifylline.
Methods: Twenty-seven isogenic C57Bl/6 mice were infected with Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis, and equally divided into three groups: miltefosine (200mg/kg/day), miltefosine (200mg/kg/day) with pentoxifylline (8mg/kg/day), and untreated. Response to treatment was evaluated using paw diameter and parasitological criteria.
Results: The number of viable Leishmania reduced significantly within the miltefosine-pentoxifylline group (p < 0.05).
Conclusions: There is hope that a viable treatment exists for Leishmania infection.