Vancomycin-loaded nanobubbles: A new platform for controlled antibiotic delivery against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections

Publication date: 15 May 2017 Source:International Journal of Pharmaceutics, Volume 523, Issue 1 Author(s): Monica Argenziano, Giuliana Banche, Anna Luganini, Nicole Finesso, Valeria Allizond, Giulia Rossana Gulino, Amina Khadjavi, Rita Spagnolo, Vivian Tullio, Giuliana Giribaldi, Caterina Guiot, Anna Maria Cuffini, Mauro Prato, Roberta Cavalli Vancomycin (Vm) currently represents the gold standard against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. However, it is associated with low oral bioavailability, formulation stability issues, and severe side effects upon systemic administration. These drawbacks could be overcome by Vm topical administration if properly encapsulated in a nanocarrier. Intriguingly, nanobubbles (NBs) are responsive to physical external stimuli such as ultrasound (US), promoting drug delivery. In this work, perfluoropentane (PFP)-cored NBs were loaded with Vm by coupling to the outer dextran sulfate shell. Vm-loaded NBs (VmLNBs) displayed ∼300nm sizes, anionic surfaces and good drug encapsulation efficiency. In vitro, VmLNBs showed prolonged drug release kinetics, not accompanied by cytotoxicity on human keratinocytes. Interestingly, VmLNBs were generally more effective than Vm alone in MRSA killing, with VmLNB antibacterial activity being more sustained over time as a result of prolonged drug release profile. Besides, VmLNBs were not internalized by staphylococci, opposite to Vm solution. Further US association promo...
Source: International Journal of Pharmaceutics - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research