Effect of Taurine on the Proliferation of Leishmania tarentolae Cells in Culture

Abstract

Taurine (Tu), an amino acid which has antioxidant and wound healing effects, is being used to treat the wounds of individuals infected with Leishmania. Leishmania are parasitic protozoans that cause the leishmaniasis disease. The purpose of this experiment is to determine if taurine can be used to directly reduce the proliferation of Leishmania cells. Treatment of leishmaniasis is getting complicated due to multiple side effects and drug resistance to first-line drugs. The MTT viability assay was used to determine the effect of taurine on Leishmania tarentolae cells in culture.  Leishmania cells were incubated with 20µM taurine, 200µM taurine, 500 µM taurine or 200µM Vanadium which is a known inhibitor of acid phosphatase activity. Control cells did not have any additions.  Incubations with and without additions were carried out for 48 hours. This study showed the ability to improve cell proliferation, although taurine had no direct anti-leishmaniasis effect. Further studies are needed to determine if higher amounts of taurine are effective for treatment of Leishmania cells.