The modification of conventional liposomes for targeted antimicrobial delivery to treat infectious diseases

Abstract

Some of the most crucial turning points in the treatment strategies for some major infectious diseases including AIDS, malaria, and TB, have been reached with the introduction of antimicrobials and vaccines. Drug resistance and poor effectiveness are key limitations that need to be overcome. Conventional liposomes have been explored as a delivery system for infectious diseases bioactives to treat infectious diseases to provide an efficient approach to maximize the therapeutic outcomes, drug stability, targetability, to reduce the side-effects of antimicrobials, and enhance vaccine performance where necessary. However, as the pathological understanding of infectious diseases become more known, the need for more advanced liposomal technologies was born to continue having a profound effect on targeted chemotherapy for infectious diseases. This review therefore provides a concise incursion into the most recent and vogue liposomal formulations used to treat infectious diseases. An appraisal of immunological, stimuli-responsive, biomimetic and functionalized liposomes and other novel modifications to conventional liposomes is assimilated in sync with mutations of resistant pathogens.

Keywords: Antimicrobials; Delivery system; Encapsulation; Infectious diseases; Liposomes; Targeted delivery.

Fig. 1

Schematic of the functionalization of nanoliposomes and its applications in the treatment of infectious diseases adapted from [1]

Fig. 2

Schematic of early liposomes showing the constituents and functionalization adapted from [13]

Fig. 3

Schematic illustration of PEGylated liposome coupled with functionalized ligand for targeted drug release in TB treatment adapted from [84]

Fig. 4

Diagrammatic depiction of immunoliposome drug release mechanism in TB treatment adapted from [84]

Fig. 5

Demonstration and application of the dual Tat peptide functionalized fusogenic properties of liposomes into the cytoplasm as adapted from [100]

Fig. 6

Diagrammatic representations of drug loaded-stimuli sensitive liposomes showing the internal, external stimuli, and its antibacterial action adapted from [105]

Fig. 7

A diagrammatic depiction of a pH-sensitive liposome for gastric antimicrobial delivery and b the lysosomal endocytosis of this pH-sensitive liposome [106, 107]

Fig. 8

A diagrammatic representation of BPQDs-Vancomycin-loaded light-sensitive liposome for local treatment of bacterial skin infection [121]

Fig. 9

A depiction of temperature sensitive liposome drug release mechanism for efficient antimicrobial therapy [126]

Fig. 10

A schematic illustration of a medicated noisome and its action on bacteria. The hydrophilic pharmaceuticals were encapsulated in the polar portion (1) and hydrophobic active agents in the apolar part (2). The encapsulated medicines were released and begins to act once the nano system engages with the microbe [130]

Fig. 11

A diagrammatic representation of the antibacterial activity of cetylpyridinium chloride sterosome on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria [149]

Fig. 12

An Albendazole loaded-ufasomal platform for the treatment of skin-parasitic infection in Wistar rat [154]