Encapsulating new anti-TB compounds
Despite all the preventive campaigns to reduce the use and misuse of antibiotics, antibiotic resistance still represents a tremendous burden for healthcare systems. Antimicrobial resistance affects the health of patients by causing long-term disability and excess mortality, lengthier medical treatments and extended hospital stays. Moreover, costly second and third-line therapies, sometimes a hundred times more expensive, increases the economic burden on patients and families.
Different scientific disciplines are contributing to develop new and efficient anti-TB compounds being Nanomedicine one of those disciplines where scientific and clinical research is principally directed towards the elimination of antibiotic resistant intracellular pathogenic bacteria.
Within the INNOVA4TB project we are developing new anti-TB compounds and new delivery systems to show superior benefits when encapsulating those anti-TB compounds within nanoparticles compared to the effect of the equivalent dose of those free anti-TB compounds.
We have encapsulated within polymer nanoparticles metal complexes and evaluated their anti-mycobacterium tuberculosis effect, their lack of resistance generation, and also their reduced cytotoxicity against human cells.
We have also evaluated the antimicrobial effect of antibiotics alone and when encapsulated as well as their combination with siderophore inhibitors which interfere with enzymatic processes dependent on iron.
