key: cord-0998634-ktbkaf4l authors: Pavanelli, Wander Rogério; Demarchi, Izabel Galhardo title: Editorial: Cutaneous Leishmaniasis: Exploring Pathogenesis and Immunomodulatory Approaches date: 2022-01-18 journal: Front Cell Infect Microbiol DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.839851 sha: db86fd52dd6216756750a04c2ec0db9b9f5cdd87 doc_id: 998634 cord_uid: ktbkaf4l nan cure rates and adverse effects when intramuscular meglumine antimoniate was used for American CL. Thus, drug combinations have been proposed as alternative therapies to treat TL (Berbert et al., 2018) . In a brief research report, a pilot randomized clinical trial was conducted using oral miltefosine and pentavalent antimonials that were combined with pentoxifylline to treat American TL.The authors observed similar cure rates and a lower risk of adverse effects (Martins et al.) . Exploring new approaches on leishmaniasis drugs, Craig et al. explored new approaches to develop anti-leishmaniasis drugs and found that thermoresponsive copolymer nanoparticles improve the bioavailability of retrograde inhibitors in vitro. Compound encapsulation in copolymer was a viable strategy to dramatically increase the bioavailability and efficacy of anti-Leishmania compounds. Although some studies have reported promising results, problems and limitations with various treatments remain. To explain therapeutic failures, resistance, and susceptibility, Fernańdez et al. showed human neutrophil activation ex vivo that influenced tolerance to meglumine antimoniate and the susceptibility of clinical strains of L. (V.) panamensis. They found lower reactive oxygen species production and higher CD62L and CD66b expression on cells that were infected with tolerant/resistant L. (V.) panamensis compared with cells that were infected with drug-sensitive strains. Among tegumentary leishmaniasis, Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis is the most prevalent parasite that is identified in infected mammals. This species is responsible for mucocutaneous leishmaniasis in Latin America (World Health Organization, 2021b). Souza et al. investigated the role of miR-548d-3p in L. (V.) braziliensis infection. The parasite appears to interfere with chemokine production by modulating miRNAs, consequently affecting inflammatory processes that are essential for lesion resolution. They suggested that miR-548d-3p may be a prognostic marker for TL and a host-directed therapeutic target. dos Santos et al. explored the intestines as a new target organ of chronic L. (V.) braziliensis infection in hamsters, highlighting a possible target for future studies to understand susceptibility and resistance. Animal models are frequently used to understand the pathogenesis of leishmaniasis and develop new therapeutic strategies (Cabral et al., 2021) . Tomiotto-Pellissier et al. reported that arginase-1 and macrophages at lesion sites influence susceptibility to Leishmania amazonensis in mice. Their findings on protective immunity against L. amazonensis suggest new approaches to treat and prevent this disease. A brief research report by de Lima et al. arelates high anti-Leishmania IgG antibody levels with the severity of mucosal leishmaniasis in humans. The reduction of antibody production could indicate treatment success in most patients. The authors suggested that these tests can be applied to assess therapeutic response. Although no vaccine is currently available for CL and considering that vaccines are effective primary strategies to prevent infectious diseases, the in silico screening and rational selection of potential candidates on a large scale have been used as research tools prior to in vitro and in vivo evaluations (Floŕez et al.) . In the field of pharmaceutical sciences, these authors described Leishmania spp. epitopes in humans that were naturally resistant to leishmaniasis, working toward a synthetic vaccine. The reports on cutaneous leishmaniasis in this Research Topic highlight areas that demand further investigation. Cutaneous leishmaniasis remains a global problem, requiring effective diagnostic measures and treatments. Considering the global health situation post-COVID-19 and neglected tropical diseases (Tilli et al., 2021) , we strongly recommend further support for leishmaniasis research, based on promising results that have been generated to date. All authors listed have made a substantial, direct, and intellectual contribution to the work and approved it for publication. Pentavalent Antimonials Combined With Other Therapeutic Alternatives for the Treatment of Cutaneous and Mucocutaneous Leishmaniasis: A Systematic Review Towards Effective Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Treatment With Light-Based Technologies. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Preclinical Studies Leishmaniasis Immunopathology-Impact on Design and Use of Vaccines, Diagnostics and Drugs Leishmaniasis: Complexity at the Host-Pathogen Interface Interventions for American Cutaneous and Mucocutaneous Leishmaniasis Neglected Tropical Diseases in non-Endemic Countries in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic: The Great Forgotten Cutaneous Leishmaniasis. Available at Mucocutaneous Leishmaniasis Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases Thanks to all researchers who participated in this Research Topic. And especially to the editors Dr Lynn Soong and Dr Ivan Velez. The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.