Evaluation of the Cutaneous Immunological Milieu Before and After Treatment With Meglumine Antimoniate in Dogs Naturally Affected by Leishmaniosis due to Leishmania infantum.

Meglumine antimoniate reduces cutaneous parasitic load and downregulates skin inflammation in leishmaniosis.

This prospective study evaluated cutaneous and systemic immune responses in 12 dogs with naturally occurring Leishmania infantum leishmaniosis before and after 28-day treatment with meglumine antimoniate (100 mg/kg SC q24h). Researchers collected blood and skin biopsies at baseline and post-treatment, measuring host defense peptides, leptin, cytokines via ELISA, and performing immunofluorescence on skin samples. Treatment resulted in significant decreases in cutaneous T-bet+ cells, GATA3+ cells, IL-17A+ cells, and neutrophils, while regulatory T cells (FoxP3+) and macrophages (Iba1+) remained unchanged. Serum inflammatory mediators showed no significant changes. Cutaneous parasitic load decreased significantly post-treatment. These findings suggest that meglumine antimoniate's therapeutic efficacy in canine leishmaniosis correlates with reduced parasitic burden and subsequent downregulation of both innate and adaptive cutaneous inflammatory responses, particularly Th1 and Th17 cell populations.

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