Immunomodulatory effects of topical diphencyprone for the treatment of acute urban cutaneous leishmaniasis

Background and objective: Efficacious and safe treatments are lacking for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). This study investigates the efficacy of adding diphencyprone immunotherapy to conventional meglumine antimoniate (MA) treatment for acute urban CL. Methods: This randomized controlled pilot study included 46 patients with acute CL. They were randomly allocated to receive either combination of diphencyprone immunotherapy with intralesional MA (intervention; N = 23) or intralesional MA alone (control; N = 23) weekly. The size and duration of lesions were measured at the baseline and after that at 4th, 8th, 12th, and 24th weeks. Data were analyzed in SPSS and p < .05 was considered significant. Results: The groups showed no significant difference in duration of lesions, but number of injections was significantly higher in the control group compared with the intervention group (p < .001). Size and induration of lesions was significantly reduced in both groups during the course of study (p < .001). The intervention group showed significantly lower induration of lesions in 4th, 8th, and 12th week compared with controls (p < .05). Conclusion: Combination of diphencyprone with MA resulted in earlier resolution of acute CL lesions with a relatively acceptable rate of adverse effects, compared with intralesional MA alone.

Automated summary

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of adding diphencyprone immunotherapy to conventional meglumine antimoniate treatment for acute urban cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), and found that the combination therapy resulted in earlier resolution of acute CL lesions with a relatively acceptable rate of adverse effects.