Cytotoxic activity of Holothuria leucospilota extract against Leishmania infantum in vitro

Leishmaniasis is a tropical parasitic infection. The resistance and toxicity issues are the major complications and remain significant
consequences related to the treatment of leishmaniasis with the recent and classical drugs.Thus there is an immediate requirement
to develop new compounds for the treatment of this protozoan disease. Sea cucumbers or holothurians are potentially presented as
the marine sources of antimicrobial and cytotoxic compounds. The aim of this study was investigation of in vitro antileishmanial
activity of methanol extract of body wall, coelomic fluid, and cuvierian organs of Holothuria leucospilota obtained from coastal
parts of Persian Gulf against Leishmania infantum promastigotes and axenic amastigotes. The colorimetric MTT assay was used to
determine L. infantum promastigotes and axenic amastigotes viability at different concentrations of the extracts and drug control
(Glucantime®) at time dependent manner and the results are represented as IC50 (50% of inhibitory concentration). Coelomic
fluid was the most active extract among the three different extracts of H. leucospilota against L. infantum promastigotes and axenic
amastigotes with IC50s of 62.33