Synthesis of biocompatible nanoparticle drug complexes for inhibition of mycobacteria

Tejashree Bhave, Prachi Ghoderao, Sonali Sanghavi, Harshada Babrekar, S V Bhoraskar, V Ganesan and Anjali Kulkarni

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most critical infectious diseases affecting the world today. Current TB treatment involves six months long daily administration of four oral doses of antibiotics. Due to severe side effects and the long treatment, a patient's adherence is low and this results in relapse of symptoms causing an alarming increase in the prevalence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB. Hence, it is imperative to develop a new drug delivery technology wherein these effects can be reduced. Rifampicin (RIF) is one of the widely used anti-tubercular drugs (ATD). The present study discusses the development of biocompatible nanoparticle–RIF complexes with superior inhibitory activity against both Mycobacterium smegmatis (M. smegmatis) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). Iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized by gas phase condensation and NP-RIF complexes were tested against M. smegmatis SN2 strain as well as M. tuberculosis H37Rv laboratory strain. These complexes showed significantly better inhibition of M. smegmatis SN2 strain at a much lower effective concentration (27.5 μg ml⁻¹) as compared to neat RIF (125 μg ml⁻¹). Similarly M. tuberculosis H37Rv laboratory strain was susceptible to both nanoparticle–RIF complex and neat RIF at a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.22 and 1 μg ml⁻¹, respectively. Further studies are underway to determine the efficacy of NPs–RIF complexes in clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis as well as MDR isolates