Lipid nanoparticles to counteract gastric infection without affecting gut microbiota

Authors and Affiliations:

Catarina Leal Seabra^a,b,c,d, Cláudia Nunes^e, Manuela Brás^a,b,d, Maria Gomez-Lazaro^a,b, Celso A. Reis^a,c,d,f, Inês C. Gonçalves^a,b, Salette Reis^e, M. Cristina L. Martins^a,b,d

^a i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Portugal

^b INEB – Instituto de Engenharia Biomédica, Universidade do Porto, Portugal

^c IPATIMUP – Instituto de Patologia e Imunologia Molecular da Universidade do Porto, Portugal

^d ICBAS – Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Portugal

^e UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Laboratório de Química Aplicada, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Portugal

^f Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Portugal

Abstract:

Helicobacter pylori infection is one of the major risk factors for gastric cancer development. Available antibiotic-based treatments not only fail in around 20% of patients but also have a severe negative impact on the gut microbiota. Recently, we demonstrated that lipid nanoparticles, namely nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC), even without any drug loaded, are bactericidal against H. pylori at low concentrations. This work aims to clarify NLC mode of action and to evaluate if their bactericidal effect is specific to H. pylori without affecting bacteria from microbiota.

NLC were able to eradicate H. pylori without affecting the other tested bacteria (Lactobacillus, E. coli, S. epidermidis and S. aureus). Bioimaging assays demonstrated that NLC rapidly bind to and cross the H. pylori bacterial membrane, destabilizing and disrupting it, which leads to leakage of the cytoplasmic contents and consequent bacterial death.

In an era where efficient alternatives to antibiotics are urgent, NLC are an interesting route to be explored in the quest for new antibiotic-free therapies to fight H. pylori infection.

Journal:

European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics 127 (2018) 378–386

Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpb.2018.02.030