IN VITRO ACTIVITY OF WUSHWUSH GREEN TEA EXTRACTS AGAINST LEISHMANIA MAJOR PROMASTIGOTES

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the antileish­manial effect of the aqueous and methanolic extracts of Wushwush green tea samples against Leish­mania major promastigotes.  Methods: After evaporation and freeze-drying the extracts were dissolved in Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) 1% in PBS. The stock solutions of 128 mg/ml were prepared for the two solvents by dissolving 100 g of Wushwush green tea extract in culture media for anti-leishmanial assays. Clinical isolate of L. aethiopica strain (CL014/09) promastigotes were cultured in RPMI-1640 supplemented with 10% heat inactivated fetal calf serum (HIFCS), 1% L-glutamine and 1% penicilline-streptomycin solution.  Results: Aqueous and methanolic extracts of Wushwush green tea showed significant leishmanicidal activity against L. major promastigotes.  Conclusion: Our study revealed a significant pharmacological activity against promastigotes of L. major and suggests that green tea extract has the potential of being used in leishmaniasis treatment in combination with the available antileishmanial drugs