Amphotericin B trihydrate, a polyene antibiotic, is derived from Streptomyces nodosus fermenter cultures. It exhibits antileishmanial properties.

Amphotericin B interacts with cholesterol, the major sterol of mammal membranes, thus limiting the usefulness of Amphotericin B due to its relatively high toxicity. Amphotericin B is dispersed as a pre-micellar or as a highly aggregated state in the subphase[4]. Amphotericin B only kills unicellular Leishmania promastigotes (LPs) when aqueous pores permeable to small cations and anions are formed. Amphotericin B (0.1 mM) induces a polarization potential, indicating K + leakage in KCl-loaded liposomes suspended in an iso-osmotic sucrose solution. Amphotericin B (0.05 mM) exhibits a nearly total collapse of the negative membrane potential, indicating Na + entry into the cells[3].

Amphotericin B results in prolonging the incubation time and decreasing PrPSc accumulation in the hamster scrapie model. Amphotericin B markedly reduces PrPSc levels in mice with transmissible subacute spongiform encephalopathies (TSSE)[4]. Amphotericin B exerts a direct effect on Plasmodium falciparum and influences eryptosis of infected erythrocytes, parasitemia and hostsurvival in murine malaria. Amphotericin B tends to delay the increase of parasitemia and significantly delays host death plasmodium berghei-infected mice[5].