Nanomedicine in leishmaniasis: A promising tool for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease - An update overview

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease that has a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, ranging from visceral to cutaneous, with millions of new cases and thousands of deaths notified every year. The severity of the disease and its various clinical forms are determined by the species of the causative agent, Leishmania, as well as the host's immune response. Major challenges still exist in the diagnosis and treatment of leishmaniasis, and there is no vaccine available to prevent this disease in humans. Nanotechnology has emerged as a promising tool in a variety of fields. In this review, we highlight the main and most recent advances in nanomedicine to improve the diagnosis and treatment, as well as for the development of vaccines, for leishmaniasis. Nanomaterials are nanometric in size and can be produced by a variety of materials, including lipids, polymers, ceramics, and metals, with varying structures and morphologies. Nanotechnology can be used as biosensors to detect antibodies or antigens, thus improving the sensitivity and specificity of such immunological and molecular diagnostic tests. While in treatment, nanomaterials can act as drug carriers or, be used directly, to reduce any toxic effects of drug compounds to the host and to be more selective towards the parasite. Furthermore, preclinical studies show that different nanomaterials can carry different Leishmania antigens, or even act as adjuvants to improve a Th1 immune response in an attempt to produce an effective vaccine.