title: Drug delivery by tattooing to treat cutaneous leishmaniasis.
abstract: This study establishes a proof-of-concept that a tattoo device can target intra-dermal drug delivery against cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). The selected drug is oleylphosphocholine (OlPC) formulated as liposomes, particles known to be prone to macrophage ingestion. We first show that treatment of cultured Leishmania-infected macrophages with OlPC-liposomes results in a direct dose-dependent killing of intracellular parasites. Based on this, in vivo efficacy is demonstrated using a 10 day tattooing-mediated treatment in mice infected with L. major and L. mexicana. In both models this regimen results in rapid clinical recovery with complete regression of skin lesions by Day 28. Parasite counts and histopathology examination confirm high treatment efficacy at the parasitic level. Low amount of drug required for tattooing combined with fast clinical recovery may have a positive impact on CL patient management. This first example of tattoo-mediated drug delivery could open to new therapeutic interventions in the treatment of skin diseases.
authors.affiliation: 1] Departments of Medicine and of Microbiology and Immunology, The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, 3775 University Street, Montreal, Canada [2] Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, R. Botucatu 862, São Paulo, Brasil.
authors.forename: Marina Temi
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Shio
authors.affiliation: Département de pathologie et de microbiologie, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Sicotte 3200, St-Hyacinthe, Canada.
authors.forename: Marilene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paquet
authors.affiliation: Departments of Medicine and of Microbiology and Immunology, The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, 3775 University Street, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martel
authors.affiliation: Dafra Pharma Research & Development, Slachthuisstraat 30, Turnhout, Belgium.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bosschaerts
authors.affiliation: MT-Derm, Gustav-Krone-Straβe 3, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Stef
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stienstra
authors.affiliation: Departments of Medicine and of Microbiology and Immunology, The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, 3775 University Street, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olivier
authors.affiliation: 1] Dafra Pharma Research & Development, Slachthuisstraat 30, Turnhout, Belgium [2] Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, 3655 Promenade Sir-William Osler, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Anny
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fortin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D005260:Female; D007891:Leishmania / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D008081:Liposomes / Q000737:chemistry*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D013653:Tattooing
chemical_list: D008081:Liposomes; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines