حسین رضوان

Background: Leishmania major is the cause of cutaneous leishmaniasis, which leads to skin lesions in the patient. Currently, the use of chemical drugs is the first line of treatment, which in addition to being painful, it has many side effects. Recently, the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to repair various skin wounds of non-infectious origin has been considered. In the present study, the regenerative role of these cells in the healing process of leishmaniasis lesion was evaluated through examination of tissue sections. Materials and methods: The standard strain of Leishmania major parasite was injected into the base of the tail of BALB/c female mice aged 6-8 weeks, after three weeks and grouping of animals (control, treatment with MSCs and standard drug glucantim), the number of 106 MSCs (derived from bone marrow) were injected in the surrounding areas of the lesion, the size of the wound was checked weekly, and on days 10, 20, 30, skin tissue, spleen and liver were sampled for histopathological examination. Results: A significant decrease in lesion size was observed in the groups treated with MSCs and (MSCs+ glucantim) compared to the group receiving the standard drug. Regeneration of skin appendages, revitalization of the epidermis layer, reduction in the number of inflammatory cells and granulation tissue were also evident at the end of the treatment period in the group treated with MSCs. Considering the involvement of liver and spleen in BALB/c mice with cutaneous leishmaniasis, examination of the tissue sections of these organs also confirmed the effectiveness of MSCs on wound healing through migration to the site of inflammation. Conclusion: Considering the reduction of lesion size and improvement at the end of the treatment period, MSCs can be useful in the healing process of skin wounds caused by infectious agents including Leishmania major parasite.