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. 2019 May 1;11(5):200.
doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics11050200.

A Functional Wound Dressing as a Potential Treatment for Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Francisco Alexandrino-Junior  1 , Kattya Gyselle de Holanda E Silva  2 , Marjorie Caroline Liberato Cavalcanti Freire  3 , Viviane de Oliveira Freitas Lione  4 , Elisama Azevedo Cardoso  5 , Henrique Rodrigues Marcelino  6 , Julieta Genre  7 , Anselmo Gomes de Oliveira  8 , Eryvaldo Sócrates Tabosa do Egito  9   10   11
Affiliations

A Functional Wound Dressing as a Potential Treatment for Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Francisco Alexandrino-Junior et al. Pharmaceutics. .

Abstract

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a parasitic disease characterized by progressive skin sores. Currently, treatments for CL are limited to parenteral administration of the drug, which presents severe adverse effects and low cure rates. Therefore, this study aimed to develop poly(vinyl-alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels containing Amphotericin B (AmB) intended for topical treatment of CL. Hydrogels were evaluated in vitro for their potential to eliminate promastigote forms of Leishmania spp., to prevent secondary infections, to maintain appropriate healing conditions, and to offer suitable biocompatibility. AmB was incorporated into the system in its non-crystalline state, allowing it to swell more and faster than the system without the drug. Furthermore, the AmB release profile showed a continuous and controlled behavior following Higuchi´s kinetic model. AmB-loaded-PVA-hydrogels (PVA-AmB) also showed efficient antifungal and leishmanicidal activity, no cytotoxic potential for VERO cells, microbial impermeability and water vapor permeability compatible with the healthy skin's physiological needs. Indeed, these results revealed the potential of PVA-AmB to prevent secondary infections and to maintain a favorable environment for the healing process. Hence, these results suggest that PVA-AmB could be a suitable and efficient new therapeutic approach for the topical treatment of CL.

Keywords: Amphotericin B; controlled release; cutaneous leishmaniasis; hydrogel; wound dressing.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Schematic representation of the hydrophilic interactions among the polymer chains, the cross-linker, and the Amphotericin B (AmB). (1) Hydrogen bound, (2) acetal formation and (3) imine formation improving the physical and chemical cross-linking [59]. (B) AmB content per unit area (1 cm2), (C) thickness variation according to the hydrogel region (D) AmB values normalized according to the weight of fragments from each respective region.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(A) Swelling degree of poly(vinyl-alcohol) (PVA)–H and PVA–AmB. (B) Log-log plot from which were calculated the diffusional exponent (n) and the diffusion constant (k) of PVA–H and PVA–AmB in phosphate saline buffer.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(A) Kinetic release of AmB from PVA–AmB hydrogels. Key: (•) experimental data (–) fitted data according to the Higuchi model. (B) XRD patterns of the AmB, the PVA–H, and the PVA–AmB hydrogels.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(A) Water vapor transmission rate of PVA–H and PVA–AmB hydrogels. (B) Medium aspect of positive (+) and negative (−) controls, as well as PVA–H and PVA–AmB after 7 days exposure to the environment, showing the resistance of the hydrogels to microbial permeability.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Scanning electron microscope image of PVA–AmB hydrogel evidencing the sample deformation, caused by the electron beam, as the magnification increment goes from 1500× (A) to 3000× (B).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Leishmanicidal activity of the PVA–H and the PVA–AmB against (A) Leishmania amazonensis and (B) Leishmania braziliensis.
Figure 7
Figure 7
AmB killing curve for VERO cell lines (A); evaluation of the cytotoxicity of PVA-H and PVA-AmB against VERO cell lines (B).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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