Aim: To develop and evaluate detergent-free, triple-drug-loaded, hyaluronate-coated elastic nanovesicles (H-ENVs) for the topical treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Materials & methods: H-ENVs were developed and evaluated for vesicle size, entrapment efficiency, skin permeation and antileishmanial potential. Results: A 15.7 and 28.6% decrease in the cytotoxicity of paromomycin and amphotericin B, respectively, was observed in detergent-free ENVs compared with conventional ENVs. H-ENVs improved the efficacy of paromomycin against promastigote and amastigote models of leishmaniasis by 4- and 7.5-fold, respectively. In vivo investigation of H-ENVs demonstrated efficient topical management of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Conclusion: The results indicate the potential of H-ENVs as a safe topical treatment choice for cutaneous leishmaniasis.
Keywords: active targeting; combination therapy; cutaneous leishmaniasis; elastic nanovesicles; topical treatment.
Application of topical gel is an attractive alternative to oral or intravenous administration of drugs and is likely to deliver a higher dose of the drug to the target site with only rare systemic adverse effects. Nanotechnology-based topical drug delivery is an attractive aspect of pharmaceutical sciences that expresses interest in the topical treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. The authors' research focuses on the development and evaluation of novel multidrug-loaded, detergent-free nanovesicles for the simple and effective topical treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis.