Therapeutic effects of the as-synthesized polylactic acid/chitosan nanofibers decorated with amphotricin B for in vitro treatment of Leishmaniasis

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is one of the biggest concerns of the World Health Organization (WHO) due to its severe side effects, the emergence of resistance, and secondary bacterial infections; therefore, it was reported as an epidemic, especially in immunocompromised individuals. The main purpose of this study was to synthesize and characterize the polylactic acid (PLA)/chitosan nanofibers decorated with amphotericin B as a new delivery system for the in vitro treatment of leishmaniasis wounds. The prepared nanofibers were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and in vitro drug release test. The anti-leishmanial effect of nanofibers decorated with amphotericin B against Leishmania major promastigotes and its cytotoxicity to macrophages were determined by the flow cytometry test. The in vitro drug release assay indicated that 84% of the amphotericin B loaded in nanofibers was released after 400 min. The average concentration of the amphotericin B loaded in PLA/chitosan nanofibers and the conventional form of amphotericin B that prevented the growth of 50% of the promastigotes of L. major were 1.29 and 4.34 µg/mL, respectively.

Keywords

• Anti-leishmanial effects
• Leishmania major
• Nanofibers
• Drug delivery