Cubosome lipid nanocarriers for delivery of ultra-short antimicrobial peptides.

Hypothesis: Although antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a promising class of new antibiotics, their inherent susceptibility to degradation requires nanocarrier-mediated delivery. While cubosome nanocarriers have been extensively studied for delivery of AMPs, we do not currently understand why cubosome encapsulation improves antimicrobial efficacy for some compounds but not others. This study therefore aims to investigate the link between the mechanism of action and permeation efficiency of the peptides, their encapsulation efficacy, and the antimicrobial activity of these systems.

Cubosome Lipid Nanocarriers As a Drug Delivery Vehicle for Intracellular Infections.

(MTB) causes the infectious disease tuberculosis (TB), responsible for more deaths than any other single infectious disease in history. Intracellular MTB are slow growing and difficult to target with traditional antitubercular drugs, leading to the emergence of multidrug resistance in TB infection, which is a major global public health issue. Recent advances in innovative lipid nanotechnologies for drug delivery have demonstrated promising outcomes for chronic infectious diseases but have not yet been tested as potential delivery systems for intracellular infections such as TB.

Delivery of antimicrobial peptides to model membranes by cubosome nanocarriers.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which typically disrupt the bacterial wall prompting leakage or lysis of the cell, form a growing contingent in the arsenal against antibiotic resistant bacteria. The effectiveness of AMPs is, however, hampered by their low solubility, general chemical and physical instability, and short half-life in vivo. Lipid nanocarriers such as cubosomes are effective at encapsulating and protecting proteins while simultaneously showing promise in delivery applications.