Chapter 7 - Liposomes-and niosomes-based drug delivery systems for tuberculosis treatment

Abstract

In spite of advances in Tuberculosis (TB) chemotherapy, TB is still airborne deadly disorder as a major issue of health concern worldwide today. Although potential treatment of TB exists nowadays, the disease continues to pose a global health threat and challenges for complete cure worldwide. Extensive researches have been focused to develop novel drug delivery systems to shorten the length of therapy approaches, to prevent relapses, to reduce dose-related toxicities, and to rectify technologically related drawbacks of antitubercular drugs. The rapid emergence of multidrug resistance (MDR) and extensive drug resistance (XDR) strains continue to evolve against the conventional first-line and second-line antitubercular drugs, respectively. In addition, poor patient compliance due to negative the therapeutic outcomes and intracellular survival of Mycobacterium highlighted to develop carrier with optimum effectiveness of the antitubercular drugs. The challenge to combat TB becomes more difficult with the ability of strains to survive within host cell for a longer period of time to disseminate later on to another uninfected cell. Among novel drug delivery approaches and carrier systems to deliver the antitubercular drugs with significant bioavailability and reduced side effects ensuring high patient compliance, nanotechnology with nano-particulate materials and vesicular system of liposomes and niosomes proved efficacious in the treatment of TB. Being successfully delivered to the target site in a sustained manner by using different alternative routes of administration, antitubercular drugs were able to achieve high concentration in the infection reservoir of Mycobacterium, a key point to improve their efficacy with the shortened frequency of regimen and lower dosage compared to conventional drug delivery. Liposomes and niosomes offered significant merits in the clinical efficacy, affordability, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness of treatment. They proved clear biosafety as nanocarriers of antitubercular medications and anti-TB vaccines.