Tuftsin-bearing liposomes as rifampin vehicles in treatment of tuberculosis in mice.

Agarwal, A and Kandpal, H and Gupta, H P and Singh, N B and Gupta, C M (1994) Tuftsin-bearing liposomes as rifampin vehicles in treatment of tuberculosis in mice. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy, 38 (3). pp. 588-93. ISSN 0066-4804

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Abstract

The antitubercular activity of rifampin was considerably increased when it was encapsulated in egg phosphatidylcholine liposomes. A further increase in the activity was observed when the macrophage activator tetrapeptide tuftsin was grafted on the surface of the drug-loaded liposomes. Intermittent treatments (twice weekly) with these preparations were significantly more effective than the continuous treatments. Rifampin delivered twice weekly for 2 weeks in tuftsin-bearing liposomes was at least 2,000 times more effective than the free drug in lowering the load of lung bacilli in infected animals. However, pretreatment with drug-free tuftsin-bearing liposomes did not render the pretreated animals resistant to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections, neither did it appreciably increase the chemotherapeutic efficacy of the liposomized rifampin. These results clearly demonstrate that liposome targeting to macrophages could considerably increase the antitubercular activity of liposomized drugs such as rifampin. Also, it shows that immunoprophylactic treatment with macrophage activators such as tuftsin does not afford any advantage in treatment of tuberculosis infections, presumably because of inactivation of the primed macrophages by the mycobacterial sulfatides.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Copyright of this article belongs to ASM
Subjects:	Q Science > QR Microbiology
Depositing User:	Dr. K.P.S.Sengar
Date Deposited:	12 Dec 2011 15:36
Last Modified:	12 Dec 2011 15:36
URI:	http://crdd.osdd.net/open/id/eprint/411

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