Liposomal Antibiotics fight many Mycobacterial infections (TB, Leprosy, etc)

Liposome-Encapsulated Antibiotics for the Therapy of Mycobacterial Infections

Antibiotics 2025, 14(7), 728; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14070728

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by Metin Yıldırım 1 andNejat Düzgüneş 2,*ORCID

  • 1 Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Harran University, Şanlıurfa 63000, Türkiye
  • 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific, 155 Fifth Street, Francisco, CA 94103, USA

About a quarter of the world’s population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Growing antibiotic resistance by this microorganism is a major problem in the therapy of the disease. M. avium-M. intracellulare that emerged as a major opportunistic infection of HIV/AIDS continues to afflict immunocompromised individuals. We describe the use of liposome-encapsulated antibiotics in the experimental and clinical therapy of mycobacterial infections, as well as recent experimental liposomal vaccines against tuberculosis.

Liposome-mediated intravenous or inhalational delivery of antibiotics enhances the antibacterial effects of the drugs, particularly for infections of resident macrophages, where the liposomes are passively targeted.

Despite experimental successes of liposomal antibiotics in the treatment of mycobacterial and other bacterial infections, applications of this method to the clinic have been lagging. This review underscores the significance of liposomes in the treatment of mycobacterial infections, encompassing their synthesis methods, limitations, and both preclinical and clinical studies, providing guidance for the development of future therapeutic approaches and innovative antimicrobial strategies.

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  • During the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe, tuberculosis became an epidemic, exacerbated by the crowding of urbanization and economic depression [3].

  • One quarter of the population of Europe in the 19th Century is thought to have died of “consumption,” as tuberculosis was called at the time.

  • It is estimated that even in the 21st Century, one in four people in the world are infected with M. tuberculosis.

  • According to the World Health Organization, the bacterium infected 10.8 million people in 2023 and killed about 1.25 million people.

TB and Leprosy are two types of Mycobacterial Infections

  • Tuberculosis (TB) — Caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Primarily affects the lungs but can spread to almost any organ. It's one of the leading infectious disease killers worldwide.
  • Leprosy (Hansen's disease) — Caused by Mycobacterium leprae. A chronic infection affecting the skin, peripheral nerves, and mucous membranes, leading to disfigurement and nerve damage if untreated.

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Leprosy