Arnica Tincture Fot the Treatment of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Summary

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is a parasitic disease caused by more than 20 different species of the protozoan parasite Leishmania. CL generally begins with a papule at the sand fly bite site, increasing to form a nodule that progresses to ulceration, or a scaly or wart-like plaque, over a period of 1 to 3 months. The exact incidence of CL is not known. An estimated 1.2 million cases / year in approximately 100 countries around the world suffer from different forms of CL. In general, most lesions become ulcerated during the course of the disease. Among the different species of the parasite that cause LC, L. tropica from the Old World and L. braziliensis from the New World are considered the most important due to the severity of the disease they produce and because they are more difficult to cure with medications currently available. Since 2010, the World Health Organization has insisted on the need to work on products that become alternatives for the treatment of CL, especially in products that serve topical application because with them, the probability of systemic toxicity is lower , increasing patient safety. Among the options for topical treatment are natural products that have been, are, and will be extremely important as sources of medicinal agents. In addition to natural products that have found direct medicinal application as pharmaceutical entities, many others can serve as chemical models or templates for the design, synthesis and semi-synthesis of novel substances for the treatment of human diseases. Arnica montana L. is a plant with anti-echemotic, healing, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antineuralgic properties; It is included in the Colombian vademecum of medicinal plants. In previous studies it has been observed that the contact of the ulcerated skin with the product for up to 60 days does not generate toxic effects at the local level (application site) or at the systemic level, so it can be considered safe for use. To date there are no human studies with CL. Therefore, it is intended to evaluate the safety and tolerability of Arnica tincture in individuals with uncomplicated CL, by measuring the occurrence and severity analysis of local and systemic adverse events.

Timeline

Start

2023-05-03

Primary completion

2024-11-02

Completion

2025-08

Publications

• Background Robledo SM, Velez ID, Schmidt TJ. Arnica Tincture Cures Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Golden Hamsters. Molecules. 2018 Jan 12;23(1):150. doi: 10.3390/molecules23010150.
• Background Guidelines of the International Conference on Harmonization - Good Clinical Practice: Consolidated Guide (ICH E6), E6(R2) Current Step 4 version dated 9 November 2016
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• Background Blum J, Lockwood DN, Visser L, Harms G, Bailey MS, Caumes E, Clerinx J, van Thiel PP, Morizot G, Hatz C, Buffet P. Local or systemic treatment for New World cutaneous leishmaniasis? Re-evaluating the evidence for the risk of mucosal leishmaniasis. Int Health. 2012 Sep;4(3):153-63. doi: 10.1016/j.inhe.2012.06.004.
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• Background Soto J, Rea J, Balderrama M, Toledo J, Soto P, Valda L, Berman JD. Efficacy of miltefosine for Bolivian cutaneous leishmaniasis. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2008 Feb;78(2):210-1.
• Background WHO technical report series; no. 949. Control of the leishmaniasis: report of a meeting of the WHO Expert Committee on the Control of Leishmaniases, Geneva, 22-26 March 2010
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• Background Herwaldt BL. Leishmaniasis. Lancet. 1999 Oct 2;354(9185):1191-9. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(98)10178-2.
• Background Velez I, Lopez L, Sanchez X, Mestra L, Rojas C, Rodriguez E. Efficacy of miltefosine for the treatment of American cutaneous leishmaniasis. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2010 Aug;83(2):351-6. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.2010.10-0060.
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• Background Pearson, R. D., A. De Queiroz Sousa, and S. M. B. Jeronimo. 2001. Leishmania species: visceral (kala-azar), cutaneous and mucosal leishmaniasis, p. 2831-2845. In G. L. Mandell, J. E. Bennett, and R. Dolin (ed.), Principles and practice of infectious diseases. Churchill Livingstone, New York, N.Y
• Background Votypka J, Kasap OE, Volf P, Kodym P, Alten B. Risk factors for cutaneous leishmaniasis in Cukurova region, Turkey. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2012 Mar;106(3):186-90. doi: 10.1016/j.trstmh.2011.12.004. Epub 2012 Jan 26.
• Background Alvar J, Velez ID, Bern C, Herrero M, Desjeux P, Cano J, Jannin J, den Boer M; WHO Leishmaniasis Control Team. Leishmaniasis worldwide and global estimates of its incidence. PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e35671. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0035671. Epub 2012 May 31.
• Background Reveiz L, Maia-Elkhoury AN, Nicholls RS, Romero GA, Yadon ZE. Interventions for American cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis: a systematic review update. PLoS One. 2013 Apr 29;8(4):e61843. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0061843. Print 2013.
• Background Lee SA, Hasbun R. Therapy of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Int J Infect Dis. 2003 Jun;7(2):86-93. doi: 10.1016/s1201-9712(03)90002-6.
• Background Lopez L, Robayo M, Vargas M, Velez ID. Thermotherapy. An alternative for the treatment of American cutaneous leishmaniasis. Trials. 2012 May 17;13:58. doi: 10.1186/1745-6215-13-58.
• Background Velasco-Castrejon O, Walton BC, Rivas-Sanchez B, Garcia MF, Lazaro GJ, Hobart O, Roldan S, Floriani-Verdugo J, Munguia-Saldana A, Berzaluce R. Treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis with localized current field (radio frequency) in Tabasco, Mexico. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1997 Sep;57(3):309-12. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.1997.57.309.
• Background Wagner S, Suter A, Merfort I. Skin penetration studies of Arnica preparations and of their sesquiterpene lactones. Planta Med. 2004 Oct;70(10):897-903. doi: 10.1055/s-2004-832613.
• Background Assessment report on Arnica montana L., flos, European Medicines Agency (Science medicines agency), 9 July 2013 EMA/HMPC/198794/2012 Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC)
• Background Iannitti T, Morales-Medina JC, Bellavite P, Rottigni V, Palmieri B. Effectiveness and Safety of Arnica montana in Post-Surgical Setting, Pain and Inflammation. Am J Ther. 2016 Jan-Feb;23(1):e184-97. doi: 10.1097/MJT.0000000000000036.
• Robledo SM, Lopez L, Quintero J, Tabares Y, Garces AC, Rios-Echavarria S, Soto E, Velez ID, Schmidt TJ. A phase Ib/II clinical study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of topical Arnica tincture to treat non-complicated cutaneous leishmaniasis in Colombia. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2025 Aug 18;19(8):e0013123. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0013123. eCollection 2025 Aug.

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