Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati used Sechium edule or Chayote (Chow-Chow in Hindi) to prepare nanosilver particles that proved toxic to Leishmania donovani (Causal agent for Kala Azar). Nanosilver particles are tiny particles of silver and are known to be lethal to microorganisms.
There are just five drugs used for treatment of Kala Azar and some of them are turning ineffective due to drug resistance. Although nanosilver formulations have been tried earlier against Kala Azar, a natural and easy way of producing them was lacking.
The researchers plan to encapsulate the nanoparticles in liposome for carrying out their effective delivery. The team believes that the production cost of this would be less than that of other anti-leishmanic drugs as the procedure is very simple and the raw materials required can be easily procured at a lesser cost.