AI Article Synopsis
- Recent research shows that ivermectin (IVM) can fight the coronavirus causing COVID-19, but using it effectively has been tough due to low levels in the bloodstream when taken orally.
- A new method using red blood cells (RBCs) to transport IVM-loaded nanoparticles (IVM-PNPs) directly to the lungs was developed to improve delivery and effectiveness.
- This RBC-hitchhiking strategy improves how long IVM stays in the body and enhances its ability to reduce lung inflammation and injury, showing promise for better treatment of COVID-19.
Article Abstract
Recent studies have demonstrated that ivermectin (IVM) exhibits antiviral activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative virus of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the repurposing of IVM for the treatment of COVID-19 has presented challenges primarily due to the low IVM plasma concentration after oral administration, which was well below IC. Here, a red blood cell (RBC)-hitchhiking strategy was used for the targeted delivery of IVM-loaded nanoparticles (NPs) to the lung. IVM-loaded poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) NPs (IVM-PNPs) and chitosan-coating IVM-PNPs (IVM-CSPNPs) were prepared and adsorbed onto RBCs. Both RBC-hitchhiked IVM-PNPs and IVM-CSPNPs could significantly enhance IVM delivery to lungs, improve IVM accumulation in lung tissue, inhibit the inflammatory responses and finally significantly alleviate the progression of acute lung injury. Specifically, the redistribution and circulation effects were related to the properties of NPs. RBC-hitchhiked cationic IVM-CSPNPs showed a longer circulation time, slower accumulation and elimination rates, and higher anti-inflammatory activities than RBC-hitchhiked anionic IVM-PNPs. Therefore, RBC-hitchhiking provides an alternative strategy to improve IVM pharmacokinetics and bioavailability for repurposing of IVM to treat COVID-19. Furthermore, according to different redistribution effects of different NPs, RBC-hitchhiked NPs may achieve various accumulation rates and circulation times for different requirements of drug delivery.
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| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8978457 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2022.121719 | DOI Listing |
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