Immunocompromised patients are very susceptible to pulmonary aspergillosis causing 50% mortality with present treatments, indicating a need for improved therapy. To address this, we standardized a nebulization method for effectively delivering liposomal amphotericin B (AmBisome®, AmBi) into lungs of Aspergillus fumigatus-infected mice.
AmBi particle characterization was done with a Cascade particle impactor and a Schuco S5000 nebulizer containing 1.33 mg/mL AmBi. For in vivo studies, AmBi was nebulized (neb) into a 12 compartment chamber (one mouse/compartment), following immunosuppression with 28 mg/kg triamcinolone IP (d-3, -1, +1). Mice were challenged d0 with 9 x 10 6 A. fumigatus (ATCC#13073) and 4 hours post-challenge, divided into 5 groups ( n = 12/gp): 5 days of 20 min/day neb AmBi (Gp1), 5 days of 10 min/day neb AmBi (Gp2), 20 min/day neb AmBi days 0, 1, 3, 5, 7 (Gp 3), 5 days of intravenous(IV) AmBi 7.5 mg/kg/day (Gp4) and IV PBS (Gp5). Seven mice/gp were monitored for survival to d21 and lungs, livers, kidneys, spleens (5 mice/gp) analyzed for mean amphotericin B µg/g and CFU/g.
87% of neb AmBi particles were between 0.43 mm to 3.3 mm allowing for drug penetration into 1°, 2° and terminal bronchi, bronchioles, and alveoli. This resulted in very good protection, with 20 min daily neb treatments (Gp1) giving 100% survival and 10 min daily neb treatments producing 71% survival (Gp2). There were no survivors in the PBS gp ( P < 0.02 vs. Gp1 and Gp2). Every other day neb AmBi or daily IV AmBi was less effective (43% survival). In addition, neb AmBi for 20 min (Gp1) yielded significantly lower fungal burden in lungs vs. all other AmBi treatments ( P < 0.02). While drug was detected in lungs of mice given 20 min of neb AmBi (2.6 µg/g), there was no drug detected in livers, kidneys or spleens of any mice given neb AmBi. In comparison, with IV AmBi, drug was detected in the lungs (7 µg/g), livers (204 µg/g), kidneys (38 µg/g), and spleens (114 µg/g).
See how this article has been cited at scite.ai
scite shows how a scientific paper has been cited by providing the context of the citation, a classification describing whether it supports, mentions, or contrasts the cited claim, and a label indicating in which section the citation was made.