LAUSR

OBJECTIVE There is a need for new treatment options for treating Leishmaniasis, since there is no standard treatment scheme with few side effects. Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) is also a candidate to be one of these options. SDT is a treatment method based on the simultaneous combination of low-intensity ultrasound and a sonosensitizer, and the generation of reactive oxygen species in cells in the presence of molecular oxygen. Sonosensitizer, ultrasound, and molecular oxygen individually, these components are not toxic, but when combined form cytotoxic reactive oxygen species In this study, we evaluated the effect of rose bengal (RB)-mediated SDT on Leishmania tropica (L. tropica) promastigotes. METHODS SDT was performed using different concentrations of RB (20, 40, and 80 μM) and ultrasound at a frequency of 1 MHz with an intensity of 1, 1.5, and 2 W/cm2 for 10, 20, and 30 min. RESULTS Incubation with different RB concentrations applied alone had no effect on L. tropica promastigotes. Ultrasound application time for L. tropica promastigotes alone was determined as 10 min. Ultrasound application intensity showed more significant results at 2 W/cm2. It was determined that the number of promastigotes was lower than that of the control group after 10 min of exposure to ultrasound at 2 W/cm2 at 1 MHz frequency for 10 min with RB (80 μM). Morphologically, round, swollen, atypical forms of the parasite with indistinguishable nuclei are observed, but typical narrow cell body forms have also been detected. CONCLUSION These results showed that RB-mediated SDT on L. tropica could be a candidate treatment approach. This approach can be used for both superficial and deeply located lesions. This study emphasized the biophysical mechanisms, ultrasound exposure strategies, reliability and difficulties in the clinical practice of RB-mediated SDT on L. tropica promastigotes.