Issue 34, 2016

Targeted theranostic liposomes: rifampicin and ofloxacin loaded pegylated liposomes for theranostic application in mycobacterial infections

Abstract

Theranostic liposomes are effective drug delivery systems for the management of infections. With added features of targeting and stealth, theranostic liposomes can be made more effective. We report the synthesis and validation of targeted stealth theranostic liposomes for the management of mycobacterial infections. The targeted drug delivery systems for infections are devised to improve the therapeutic window of encapsulated drugs by increasing their delivery to the target area and minimizing the drug-associated toxicity. FR+ targeted pegylated liposomal formulation was developed for in vivo imaging of mycobacterial infections. The encapsulated drugs for mitigation are rifampicin and ofloxacin. The prepared liposomes were characterized for physicochemical properties and stability. In vitro release properties, mycobacterial activity, in vivo blood-kinetics, bio-distribution, and bio-efficacy of the prepared lyophilized liposomes were assessed. The mean particle size of the liposomes was 160.6 nm with considerable colloidal stability observed up to 120 days. The results of in vitro investigations indicate good encapsulation efficiency of 66.89 (±10.9)% and 40.61 (±8.7)% for rifampicin and ofloxacin respectively with excellent anti-mycobacterial activity. The pharmacokinetics data corroborate a slow biphasic pattern with a much longer terminal half-life of 19.13 h. The tissue distribution studies revealed high blood pool activity even up to 24 h post injection (p.i.) with the maximum organ localization in the spleen, liver, and kidneys at one hour p.i. Further, in vivo scintigraphic studies in the murine model of TB infection showed higher uptake at infected lesions at two hours p.i. The blocking imaging experiments showed minimized uptake, which confirms specific targeting. Therapeutic efficacy studies further confirmed that liposomal delivery of the anti-TB drugs is efficacious in the murine model of infection. In conclusion, preliminary studies demonstrated that the formulated liposomes can be an effective theranostic agent against mycobacterial infections in the mouse model.

Graphical abstract: Targeted theranostic liposomes: rifampicin and ofloxacin loaded pegylated liposomes for theranostic application in mycobacterial infections

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
14 Jan 2016
Accepted
13 Mar 2016
First published
21 Mar 2016

RSC Adv., 2016,6, 28919-28926

Targeted theranostic liposomes: rifampicin and ofloxacin loaded pegylated liposomes for theranostic application in mycobacterial infections

A. Kaul, S. Chaturvedi, A. Attri, M. Kalra and A. K. Mishra, RSC Adv., 2016, 6, 28919 DOI: 10.1039/C6RA01135G

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements