In vitro activity of Surfactant Protein A against Leishmania amazonensis

surfactant protein a (sp-a) is a hydrophilic pulmonary protein belonging to the collectin family, involved in lung homeostasis, the regulation of host defenses and inflammation. the present study addresses the activity of sp-a against promastigotes and amastigotes of leishmania amazonensis and its cytotoxicity for host cells. sp-a exhibited similar activity against both parasite forms, with an ic50 of 34.0 ± 3.1 and 33.6 ± 1.1 μg/ml against promastigotes and amastigotes, respectively. it was moderately cytotoxic to peritoneal macrophages from balb/c mice, exhibiting an ic50 value of 172.0 ± 6.1 μg/ml. this is the first report on the anti-leishmanial activity of sp-a.