Development of antileishmanial lipid nanocomplexes

Visceral leishmaniasis is a life-threatening disease that affects nearly a million people every year. The emergence of Leishmania strains resistant to existing drugs complicates its treatment. The purpose of this study was to develop a new lipid formulation based on nanocochleates combining two active drugs: Amphotericin B (AmB) and Miltefosine (HePC). Nanocochleates composed of dioleoylphosphatidylserine (DOPS) and Cholesterol (Cho) and Ca(2+), in which HePC and AmB were incorporated, were prepared. Properties such as particle size, zeta potential, drug payload, in-vitro drug release and storage stability were investigated. Moreover, in-vitro stability in gastrointestinal fluid was performed in view of an oral administration. AmB-HePC-loaded nanocochleates with a mean particle size of 250 ± 2 nm were obtained. The particles displayed a narrow size distribution and a drug payload of 29.9 ± 0.5 mg/g for AmB, and 14.0 ± 0.9 mg/g for HePC. Drug release occurred preferentially in intestinal medium containing bile salts. Therefore, AmB-HePC-loaded nanocochleates could be a promising oral delivery system for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis.