title: Antibiotic delivery by liposomes from prokaryotic microorganisms: Similia cum similis works better.
abstract: To date the effectiveness of antibiotics is undermined by microbial resistance, threatening public health worldwide. Enhancing the efficacy of the current antibiotic arsenal is an alternative strategy. The administration of antimicrobials encapsulated in nanocarriers, such as liposomes, is considered a viable option, though with some drawbacks related to limited affinity between conventional liposomes and bacterial membranes. Here we propose a novel "top-down" procedure to prepare unconventional liposomes from the membranes of prokaryotes (PD-liposomes). These vectors, being obtained from bacteria with limited growth requirements, also represent low-cost systems for scalable biotechnology production. In depth physico-chemical characterization, carried out with dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS), indicated that PD-liposomes can be suitable for the employment as antibiotic vectors. Specifically, DLS showed that the mean diameter of loaded liposomes was ∼200-300nm, while SAXS showed that the structure was similar to conventional liposomes, thus allowing a direct comparison with more standard liposomal formulations. Compared to free penicillin G, PD-liposomes loaded with penicillin G showed minimal inhibitory concentrations against E. coli that were up to 16-times lower. Noteworthy, the extent of the bacterial growth inhibition was found to depend on the microorganisms from which liposomes were derived.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Florence, via Madonna del Piano 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Colzi
authors.affiliation: Drug Transport and Delivery Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway, Universitetsveien 57, 9037 Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Anna N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Troyan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Florence, via Madonna del Piano 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
authors.forename: Brunella
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Perito
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Florence, via Madonna del Piano 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Casalone
authors.affiliation: Mass Spectrometry Centre, University of Florence, Via Ugo Schiff 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Romoli
authors.affiliation: Mass Spectrometry Centre, University of Florence, Via Ugo Schiff 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pieraccini
authors.affiliation: Drug Transport and Delivery Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway, Universitetsveien 57, 9037 Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Nataša
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Škalko-Basnet
authors.affiliation: Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences, University of Florence, Piazzale delle Cascine 24, 50144 Firenze, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adessi
authors.affiliation: Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences, University of Florence, Piazzale delle Cascine 24, 50144 Firenze, Italy.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Florence, via Madonna del Piano 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gonnelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth Sciences and CSGI, University of Florence, via della Lastruccia 3, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy. Electronic address: ristori@unifi.it.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ristori
mesh_terms: D000667:Ampicillin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D046889:Cyanothece / Q000737:chemistry; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D008081:Liposomes; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010400:Penicillin G / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012241:Rhodopseudomonas / Q000737:chemistry; D013678:Technology, Pharmaceutical / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004337:Drug Carriers; D008081:Liposomes; D010743:Phospholipids; D000667:Ampicillin; D010400:Penicillin G
keywords: Antibiotic delivery; Antimicrobial activity; Biolipids; Liposomes; Penicillin resistance