A first step toward liposome-mediated intracellular bacteriophage therapy.
OBJECTIVE
The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria presents a severe challenge to medicine and public health. While bacteriophage therapy is a promising alternative to traditional antibiotics, the general inability of bacteriophages to penetrate eukaryotic cells limits their use against resistant bacteria, causing intracellular diseases like tuberculosis. Bacterial vectors show some promise in carrying therapeutic bacteriophages into cells, but also bring a number of risks like an overload of bacterial antigens or the acquisition of virulence genes from the pathogen.


METHODS
As a first step in the development of a non-bacterial vector for bacteriophage delivery into pathogen-infected cells, we attempted to encapsulate bacteriophages into liposomes.


RESULTS
Here we report effective encapsulation of the model bacteriophage λeyfp and the mycobacteriophage TM4 into giant liposomes. Furthermore, we show that liposome-associated bacteriophages are taken up into eukaryotic cells more efficiently than free bacteriophages.


CONCLUSIONS
These are important milestones in the development of an intracellular bacteriophage therapy that might be useful in the fight against multi-drug-resistant intracellular pathogens like Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Institute of Biology II , Schänzlestraße 1, D-79104 Freiburg , Germany +49 761 203 67503; +49 761 203 67535 ; anita_nieth@gmx.de.
Anita
A
Nieth
Cyprien
C
Verseux
Sabine
S
Barnert
Regine
R
Süss
Winfried
W
Römer
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D001435:Bacteriophages; D002460:Cell Line; D006801:Humans; D008081:Liposomes; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000188:drug therapy*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D008081:Liposomes
antibiotic resistance; bacteriophage therapy; intracellular pathogens; liposomes; trafficking; tuberculosis