Abstract

Background: Parasitic infection such as leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease, presents a significant global burden which is responsible for high mortality rate especially in less developed countries. Its intracellular nature and disseminated locations of parasite, limited number of chemotherapeutic agents, increasing incidences of resistance to first line drugs and toxicities, pose a great challenge to formulation scientists that have necessitated effective management of leishmanial infection by modulating the delivery of existing drugs. Over the past decade, research on development of alternative treatments such as nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems (nanoparticles, nanosuspensions, liposomes etc.), use of natural products as well as development of antileishmanial vaccine has been extensively investigated.

Objective: The present review focuses on different facets of therapeutic strategies, existing miscellaneous drug delivery systems and approaches intended for management, as well as treatment of the infection, with an objective to summarize the current trends and strategies adopted for antileishmanial therapy in a systematic manner. Moreover, the article encloses an eclectic collection of patents allied to new-fangled chemotherapeutics for antileishmanial therapy.

Conclusion: The reported miscellaneous novel drug delivery systems along with the diverse approaches are seem to be precise, secure and relatively effective; and in an outcome, could lead to the new track for management of leishmaniasis.

Keywords: Leishmaniasis, therapeutic strategies, nanocarriers, nanoparticles, liposomes, vaccine, natural products, patents.

Graphical Abstract