Investigating Potential Therapeutic Efficacy of Sambucus ebulus Fruit Extract in Treatment of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Background: Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne zoonotic disease that remains as a major public health problem around the globe, with a higher burden in poor or developing countries. Pentavalent antimonials such as glucantime are currently being used as the first-line treatment for cutaneous form of leishmaniasis, but they are associated with significant side effects. Evidence suggests that extracts from different parts of Sambucus ebulus may have analgesic, anti-inflammatory and favorable skin healing effects. In this study, we investigated the potential therapeutic efficacy of S. ebulus fruit extract in treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis.Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled clinical trial that was carried out on 95 patients with confirmed cutaneous leishmaniasis. The subjects were assigned to an intervention and a control group. All patients received the standard treatment for leishmaniasis. In addition, the intervention group received a 5% ointment prepared from the methanolic extract of S. ebulus fruit, while the control group received a placebo. Healing rate and clinical characteristics of the lesions were assessed before the intervention and once weekly until complete epithelialization of the lesions (or up to 12 weeks).Results: The 5% topical ointment of S. ebulus fruit had no significant effect on healing probability, healing rate or treatment outcome, but it significantly reduced the lesion size.Conclusion: Combination therapy with pentavalent antimonials and the S. ebulus fruit ointment could significantly reduce the lesion size but has no effect on the treatment outcome.