lignans and Tuberculosis--Pulmonary

Conventional treatment of tuberculosis (TB) demands a long course therapy (6 months), known to originate multiple drug resistant strains (MDR-TB), which emphasizes the urgent need for new antituberculous drugs. The purpose of this study was to investigate a novel treatment for TB meant to improve patient compliance by reducing drug dosage frequency. Polymeric microparticles containing the synthetic analogue of neolignan, 1-phenyl-2-phenoxiethanone (LS-2), were obtained by a method of emulsification and solvent evaporation and chemically characterized. Only representative LS-2-loaded microparticles were considered for further studies involving experimental murine TB induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv ATCC 27294. The LS-2-loaded microparticles were spherical in shape, had a smooth wall and showed an encapsulation efficiency of 93% in addition to displaying sustained release. Chemotherapeutic potential of LS-2 entrapped in microparticles was comparable to control groups. These findings are encouraging and indicate that LS-2-loaded microparticles are a potential alternative to conventional chemotherapy of TB.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Biocompatible Materials; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Carriers; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Humans; Lactic Acid; Lignans; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microspheres; Models, Animal; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Particle Size; Patient Compliance; Polyglycolic Acid; Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer; Time Factors; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary