Carboxymethylated ɩ-carrageenan conjugated amphotericin B loaded gelatin nanoparticles for treating intracellular Candida glabrata infections

• Published in: International journal of biological macromolecules Vol. 110; pp. 140 - 149
• Main Authors: Aparna, V., Melge, Anu Rohit, Rajan, V.K., Biswas, Raja, Jayakumar, R., Gopi Mohan, C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 15.04.2018
• Subjects: Amphotericin B; Candida glabrata; Carboxymethylated ɩ-carrageenan; Gelatin A; Macrophages; Targeted drug delivery; Carboxymethylated ɩ-carrageenan; Targeted drug delivery; Candida glabrata; Gelatin A; Amphotericin B; Macrophages
• ISSN: 0141-8130; 1879-0003
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2017.11.126

Intercellular Candida glabrata infections are difficult to treat due to poor penetration of drugs into the fungal niche. Delivering amphotericin B (Amp B) into the macrophages where the pathogen inhabits is an effective solution. We are studying the macrophage targeting proficiency of ɩ-carrageenan for the delivery of Amp B using gelatin A nanoparticles (GNPs). The choice of gelatin A was the outcome of in silico inspections where the amino functionalized polymer having the best docking score with Amp B was selected. We prepared a sustained release formulation of amp B loaded carboxymethyl ɩ-carrageenan conjugated gelatin nanoparticles (CMC-Amp B-GNPs) with size 343±12nm and −25±5.3mV zeta potential. The formulations were found to be stable, biocompatible and non-haemolytic. Flow cytometry analysis showed 3 fold higher uptake of CMC-GNPs compared to the GNPs by RAW 264.7 cells. CMC-Amp B-GNPs showed enhanced antifungal activity than bare Amp B and Amp B-GNPs.