Itraconazole for Topical Treatment of Skin Carcinogenesis: Efficacy Enhancement by Lipid Nanocapsule Formulations

J Biomed Nanotechnol. 2022 Jan 1;18(1):97-111. doi: 10.1166/jbn.2022.3217.

Abstract

Itraconazole (ITC), an antifungal drug with anticancer activity, shows potential for oral treatment of skin cancer. There is clinical need for topical ITC for treating low-risk skin carcinogenesis. Our objective was to develop ITC nanoformulations with enhanced anticancer efficacy. Lipid nanocapsules (LNC), either unmodified (ITC/LNC) or modified with the amphiphiles miltefosine (ITC/MF-LNC) or the lipopeptide biosurfactant surfactin (ITC/SF-LNC) as bioactive additives were developed. LNC formulations showed high ITC entrapment efficiency (>98%), small diameter (42-45 nm) and sustained ITC release. Cytotoxicity studies using malignant SCC 9 cells and normal human fibroblasts (NHF) demonstrated significant enhancement of ITC anticancer activity and selectivity for cancer cells by the LNC formulations and a synergistic ITC-amphiphile interaction improving the combination performance. Treatment of intradermal tumor-bearing mice with the ITC nanoformulation gels compared with ITC and 5-FU gels achieved significant tumor growth inhibition that was remarkably enhanced by ITC/MF-LNC and ITC/SF-LNC as well as recovery of skin architecture. Molecularly, tumoral expression of Ki-67 and cytokeratin proliferative proteins was significantly suppressed by LNC formulations, the suppressive effect on cytokeratins was superior to that of 5-FU. These findings provide new evidence for effective topical treatment of low-risk skin carcinogenesis utilizing multiple approaches that involve drug repurposing, nanotechnology, and bioactive amphiphiles as formulation enhancing additives.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antifungal Agents / pharmacology
  • Carcinogenesis
  • Itraconazole / pharmacology
  • Lipids
  • Mice
  • Nanocapsules*

Substances

  • Antifungal Agents
  • Lipids
  • Nanocapsules
  • Itraconazole