Immunomodulatory effects of topical diphencyprone for the treatment of acute urban cutaneous leishmaniasis

Background and objective: Efficacious and safe treatments are lacking for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). This study investigates the efficacy of adding diphencyprone immunotherapy to conventional meglumine antimoniate (MA) treatment for acute urban CL. Methods: This randomized controlled pilot study included 46 patients with acute CL. They were randomly allocated to receive either combination of diphencyprone immunotherapy with intralesional MA (intervention; N = 23) or intralesional MA alone (control; N = 23) weekly. The size and duration of lesions were measured at the baseline and after that at 4th, 8th, 12th, and 24th weeks. Data were analyzed in SPSS and p < .05 was considered significant. Results: The groups showed no significant difference in duration of lesions, but number of injections was significantly higher in the control group compared with the intervention group (p < .001). Size and induration of lesions was significantly reduced in both groups during the course of study (p < .001). The intervention group showed significantly lower induration of lesions in 4th, 8th, and 12th week compared with controls (p < .05). Conclusion: Combination of diphencyprone with MA resulted in earlier resolution of acute CL lesions with a relatively acceptable rate of adverse effects, compared with intralesional MA alone.