Glucantime reduces mechanical hyperalgesia in cutaneous leishmaniasis and complete Freund's adjuvant models of chronic inflammatory pain.

Objectives: To evaluate the analgesic effect of Glucantime (antimoniate N-methylglucamine) in Leishmania amazonensis infection and complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA), chronic paw inflammation model, in BALB/c mice.

Methods: Two models of chronic inflammatory pain in BALB/c mice paw were used: infection with L. amazonensis and CFA stimulation. Both animals models received daily treatment with Glucantime (10 mg/kg, i.p.) and during the treatment was measured the mechanical hyperalgesia with electronic version of von Frey filaments. After the treatment, the paw skin sample was collected for analysis of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase (NAG) activity, and IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, IFN-γ and IL-10 cytokines production by ELISA.

Key Findings: Leishmania amazonensis-induced chronic inflammation with significant increase in mechanical hyperalgesia, MPO and NAG activity, and IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6 production in the paw skin. Glucantime (10 mg/kg, i.p.) inhibited L. amazonensis-induced mechanical hyperalgesia and IL-1β and IL-6 cytokines productions. In chronic inflammatory model induced by CFA, Glucantime treatment during 7 days inhibited CFA-induced mechanical hyperalgesia, MPO and NAG activity, and IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6 and IFN-γ production as well as increased IL-10 production.

Conclusions: Our data demonstrated that Glucantime reduced the chronic inflammatory pain induced by L. amazonensis and CFA stimuli by inhibiting the hyperalgesic cytokines production.