Antiparasitic effects of gold nanoparticles with microwave radiation on promastigots and amastigotes of Leishmania major

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the efficacy of thermotherapy in the presence of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) and microwave (MW) radiation at a frequency of 2450 MHz on the survival of Leishmania major promastigotes and amastigotes. Materials and methods: L. major promastigotes (strain MRHO/IR/75/ER) were cultured in RPMI-1640 medium supplemented with foetal bovine serum and antibiotic. The promastigotes were incubated with GNPs for 2h. After washing, thermotherapy was performed by MW irradiation. After 48h the promastigote survival rate was assessed using Alamar Blue assay. In the second part of the study, after culture and proliferation of J744 cells, the infected macrophages were incubated with the GNPs and were inserted under MW irradiation. After 24h, the number of amastigotes in the macrophages was determined after Giemsa staining by a light microscope. Result: Increased exposure time of the microwave to the parasites in the presence of GNPs induced a significant decline in promastigotes survival rate in comparison to similar samples without GNPs. The least survival of amastigotes was also recorded in the groups containing GNPs. The presence of GNPs during MW irradiation was more lethal for promastigotes and amastigotes in comparison to MW alone. Conclusion: Thermotherapy using MW radiation in the presence of GNPs may be proposed as a new approach to treat leishmaniasis in future studies. © 2013 Informa UK Ltd.