THE EFFECT OF STACHYS LAVANDULIFOLIA VAHL. AND MESPILUS GERMANICA L. LEAVES HYDROALCOHOLIC EXTRACTS ON LEISHMANIA MAJOR (MRHO/IR/75/ER) IN VITRO

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic in 88 different countries. There are an estimated 1.5 million new cases each year, with over 90% occurring in Afghanistan, Algeria, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria and in Brazil and Peru. This study is the first one for evaluating the effect of hydroalcoholic extracts of Stachys lavandulifolia Vahl. and Mespilus germanica L. leaves against L. major (MRHO/IR/75/ER) promastigotes. The results of this study showed that, extracts of S. Lavandulifolia and M. germanica leaves are effective on activity against the proliferation of promastigotes of L. major suggest that these extracts might be a promising approach for developing new anti-leishmanial drugs.