Investigation the effect of dietary Spirulina supplement on the viability and proliferation of Leishmania donovani parasite in vitro

Abstract

     The aim of this study is to evaluate the in vitro antileishmanial activities of dietary Spirulina supplement and to determine its effectiveness in comparsion with a pentostam drug against Leishmania donovani. The effect of Spirulina on the visceral leishmaniasis viability was investigated using the MTT test after processed by different concentrations of 100%, 75%, 50%, 25% and compared to the effect of pentostam treatment at a concentration of 0.041 mg / mL at different times of 24 and 48 hours. Parasite after 24 hours for percentages (100%, 75%, 50%, 25%) µg/ml were (33.3%, 42.8%, 60%, and 75%) respectively, while after 48 hours they were (22.2%, 28.5%, 45.4%  and 64%) respectively, compared to pentostam treatment, where the parasite viability after 24 and 48 were 50%, 20% respectively, also observed that the Spirulina effect on the  parasite growth, initially  the parasite was grown at a rate of 1 × 10⁴ cells / mL in three groups (Spirulina, pentostam, control) and the parasites  grow at  low  rate of division  compared with control groups, then the numbers of parasites began to gradually decrease in Spirulina and pentostam groups with the  time until it became zero in 6  days  with  no notable growth has occurred