Maria Manuela Gasper
University of Lisbon, Portugal
Title: Paromomycin liposomes - an alternative strategy for treatment of infectious diseases
Biography
Biography: Maria Manuela Gasper
Abstract
Infectious diseases constitute an immense global threat, being responsible for 15 million of deaths per year worldwide. Treatment of infectious diseases caused by intracellular microorganisms, such as M. tuberculosis, M. avium, Leishmania and Plasmodium spp. are often hampered by limited access of drugs to infected cells. Over the last decades, liposomes, the most studied and successful drug delivery system allowed to improve the the pharmacologic and therapeutic properties of several molecules. One example is the case of aminoglycosides that due to inappropriate biodistribution and/or pharmacokinetic profiles render them not satisfactory for medical use. Paromomycin (PRM) is an aminoglycoside with a broad spectrum in vitro activity against protozoa and mycobacteria. However, it is poorly absorbed into systemic circulation after oral administration and when parenterally injected undergoes rapid clearance being excreted upon glomerular filtration in urine. In the present work, the association of PRM to liposomes resulted in a huge accumulation of the antibiotic in liver, spleen and lungs, relative to free form. The in vivo biodistribution changes of PRM liposomes were translated into an enhanced therapeutic effect in murine models infected with M. avium and Leishmania infantum with an absence of toxic effects. The obtained results demonstrate the potential of PRM liposomes as an alternative therapeutic strategy for treatment of mycobacterial and parasite infections.