Background: Malaria, a tropical neglected disease, imposes a significant burden on global health, leading to the loss of thousands of lives annually. Its gold standard treatment is a combination therapy of lumefantrine (LUM) and artemether (ART). Nanotechnology holds significant potential for improving drug bioavailability and potency while reducing adverse effects.
Objectives: This study aimed to develop lipid-core nanocapsules containing ART and LUM and evaluate their effects in an experimental cerebral malaria model (ECM).
Methods: The polymeric interfacial deposition method was used to develop lipid-core nanocapsules (LNCs) containing ART and LUM (LNC) and were characterized using micrometric and nanometric scales. Male C57BL/6 mice were infected with Plasmodium (P.) berghei ANKA (PbA, 1 × 10 PbA-parasitized red blood cells, intraperitoneally). On day 5 post-infection, PbA-infected mice were orally administered with ART + LUM, LNC, blank nanocapsules (LNC), or ethanol as a control. Parasitemia, clinical scores, and survival rates were monitored throughout the experiment. Organ-to-body weight ratios, cytokine quantification, and intravital microscopy analyses were conducted on day 7 post-infection.
Results: LNCs were successfully developed and characterized. The treatment with LNC in ECM resulted in complete clearance of parasitemia at 10 dpi, decreased clinical scores, and maintained 100% survival rates. Thereated mice exhibited splenomegaly and reduced TNF-α, IL-1β, and MCP1 levels in the brain. Furthermore, the LNC treatment protected the brain microvasculature, reducing the number of cells in the rolling process and adherent to the microvasculature endothelium.
Conclusion: Nanoformulations can potentially improve the efficacy of antimalarial drugs and be considered a promising approach to treat malaria.
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| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11564608 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s11671-024-04121-6 | DOI Listing |
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