Intracellular bacteria are inaccessible and highly tolerant to antibiotics, hence are a major contributor to the global challenge of antibiotic resistance and recalcitrant clinical infections. This, in tandem with stagnant antibacterial discovery, highlights an unmet need for new delivery technologies to treat intracellular infections more effectively. Here, we compare the uptake, delivery, and efficacy of rifampicin (Rif)-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) and organo-modified (ethylene-bridged) MSN (MON) as an antibiotic treatment against small colony variants (SCV) () in murine macrophages (RAW 264.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntracellular bacteria serve as a problematic source of infection due to their ability to evade biological immune responses and the inability for conventional antibiotics to efficiently penetrate cellular membranes. Subsequently, new treatment approaches are urgently required to effectively eradicate intracellular pathogens residing within immune cells (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStrategies to improve the uptake of particulate delivery systems to macrophages are required for the advancement of therapeutic solutions to a range of disease states, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), tuberculosis, and cystic fibrosis. In this study, poly(lactic--glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanoparticles were combined with lipid nanoparticles, via the process of spray drying, to overcome the physiochemical limitations associated with the individual precursor systems. The hybrid nanoparticle-in-microparticle structure was investigated for its ability to redisperse in aqueous media and, subsequently, enhance particle uptake into RAW 267.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn urgent demand exists for the development of novel delivery systems that efficiently transport antibacterial agents across cellular membranes for the eradication of intracellular pathogens. In this study, the clinically relevant poorly water-soluble antibiotic, rifampicin, was confined within mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) to investigate their ability to serve as an efficacious nanocarrier system against small colony variants of (SCV ) hosted within Caco-2 cells. The surface chemistry and particle size of MSN were varied through modifications during synthesis, where 40 nm particles with high silanol group densities promoted enhanced cellular uptake.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn urgent demand exists for the development of effective carrier systems that systematically enhance the cellular uptake and localization of antibiotic drugs for the treatment of intracellular pathogens. Commercially available antibiotics suffer from poor cellular penetration, restricting their efficacy against pathogens hosted and protected within phagocytic cells. In this study, the potency of the antibiotic rifampicin against intracellular small colony variants of was improved through encapsulation within a strategically engineered cell-penetrant delivery system, composed of lipid nanoparticles encapsulated within a poly(lactic--glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanoparticle matrix.
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