Research Projects

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a neglected tropical disease affecting a large population in India, particularly in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Pentavalent antimonial drugs, miltefosine, and amphotericin-B are available to treat VL but have drawbacks such as high cost, cytotoxicity, severe side effects, and drug resistance. A recent research group identified a glycoprotein (AHP-F2) from the agriculture waste of Arachis hypogea L. This glycoprotein is a 28 kDa manose-glucose binding lectin that stimulates NO generation, IL-12, and IFN-? release in macrophages. It also interacts with TLR-4 and inhibits amastigotes growth within murine macrophages. The study aims to isolate, purify, and develop a potent macrophage repolarizing glycoprotein from the nutshell of A. hypogea L. and explore its role in treating VL through M2 to M1 re-polarization. The purified AHP will be tested in vitro and in vivo in a BALB/c mouse model, and its effectiveness in macrophage repolarization towards L. donovani killing will be investigated. The proposed AHP could be a modest immunomodulator from the nutshell of A. hypogea L., potentially useful in treating VL and other chronic diseases. The research group plans to use FPLC and amino acid sequencing to isolate, purify, and characterize the AHP, and to compare its effectiveness with commercially available drugs.