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An Injectable and Drug-loaded Supramolecular Hydrogel for Local Catheter Injection into the Pig Heart
Published on: June 7, 2015
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A hydrogel-based implantable multidrug antitubercular formulation outperforms oral delivery
Sanjay Pal1, Vijay Soni, Sandeep Kumar
1Laboratory of Nanotechnology and Chemical Biology, Regional Centre for Biotechnology, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, 3rd Milestone, Faridabad-Gurgaon Expressway, Faridabad-121001, Haryana, India. bajaj@rcb.res.in.
Nanoscale
|September 3, 2021
Summary
A novel injectable hydrogel, TB-Gel, effectively delivers four front-line antitubercular drugs. This new drug delivery system reduces mycobacterial infection in mice using half the standard drug dose compared to oral delivery.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Drug Delivery Systems
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health challenge, necessitating improved therapeutic strategies.
- Current oral antitubercular drug regimens can suffer from poor patient compliance and variable efficacy.
- Developing advanced drug delivery systems is crucial for enhancing treatment outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a novel, non-immunogenic, injectable hydrogel-based drug delivery system (TB-Gel) for four front-line antitubercular drugs.
- To compare the efficacy of TB-Gel against conventional oral drug delivery in a preclinical model of mycobacterial infection.
- To determine the optimal dosage of antitubercular drugs when delivered via the TB-Gel system.
Main Methods:
- Formulation of an amphiphilic, low molecular weight hydrogel (TB-Gel) capable of entrapping isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol.
- Administration of TB-Gel and oral combination therapy to mice infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
- Assessment of mycobacterial load and therapeutic efficacy in treated mice.
Main Results:
- TB-Gel successfully entrapped the cocktail of four front-line antitubercular drugs.
- Injectable TB-Gel demonstrated superior efficacy in reducing mycobacterial infection in mice compared to oral drug delivery.
- A 50% reduction in the chemotherapeutic drug dose was sufficient when delivered via TB-Gel to achieve comparable therapeutic effects to oral administration.
Conclusions:
- The developed TB-Gel represents a promising, non-immunogenic, injectable drug delivery platform for treating tuberculosis.
- TB-Gel enhances the therapeutic efficacy of front-line antitubercular drugs, potentially allowing for dose reduction and improved treatment outcomes.
- This novel hydrogel system offers a potential advancement in tuberculosis therapy, addressing limitations of current oral treatments.
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