Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39808642›Full record

ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2025

Contribution of epidermal growth factor (EGF) in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania major in BALB/c mice.

Mohammad Saberi, Alireza Latifi, Majid Golkar, Pezhman Fard-Esfahani, Sina Mohtasebi, Aref Teimouri, Mohammad Javad Abbaszadeh Afshar, Elham Kazemirad, Mehdi Mohebali

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Mohammad SaberiDepartment of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Alireza LatifiDepartment of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Majid GolkarDepartment of Parasitology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
Pezhman Fard-EsfahaniDepartment of Biochemistry, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
Sina MohtasebiDepartment of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Aref TeimouriDepartment of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Mohammad Javad Abbaszadeh AfsharDepartment of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Jiroft University of Medical Sciences, Jiroft, Iran.
Elham KazemiradDepartment of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mehdi MohebaliDepartment of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4164-9514

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a tropical disease that can cause chronic lesions and leave life-long scars, leading to social stigmatization and psychological disorders. Using growth factors and immunomodulatory agents that could accelerate wound healing and reduce the scar is highly demanded. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) plays an essential role in wound healing. It stimulates the proliferation of keratocytes and fibroblasts, and promotes re-epithelialization. Here, the effect of EGF in combination with Glucantime and nano-liposomal Amphotericin B (SinaAmpholeish) on the healing process of CL in BALB/c mice was investigated. Seventy-two mice were infected with Leishmania major parasites and randomly divided into eight treatment groups after the appearance of the lesion. The treatment was continued for five weeks, and lesion sizes were measured weekly. Parasite load was determined in the skin biopsies using qPCR. We found that subcutaneous injection of EGF at 4.5 μg/kg, combined with each of the two antileishmanial drugs, significantly reduced the wound size and parasite load; however, EGF at 1.5 μg/kg failed to be effective. Besides, the wound size and parasite loads were significantly lower in the SinaAmfoleish groups compared to the Glucantime groups. Among the treatment groups, EGF 4.5 μg/kg combined with SinaAmpholeish exhibited the most significant reduction in wound size and parasitic load. Our results suggest that EGF can potentiate the wound healing effect of antileishmanial drugs. Further studies are warranted to explore the beneficial effects of combining EGF with antileishmanial drugs in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis in order to accelerate wound healing and reduce the scar.

Indexed as

Antiprotozoal AgentsEpidermal Growth FactorLeishmania majorLeishmaniasis, CutaneousAmphotericin BAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalDrug Therapy, CombinationFemaleMeglumine AntimoniateMiceMice, Inbred BALB CParasite LoadSkinWound HealingAmphotericin BAntiprotozoal AgentsEpidermal Growth Factorliposomal amphotericin BMeglumine Antimoniate

Identifiers

PMID39808642
PMCPMC11771879

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.