Researchers at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo in New York have developed a new inhalable form of rifampin that could significantly reduce the burden of current tuberculosis (TB) therapy.
The study’s findings were detailed in the paper, “Repeated Pulmonary Dosing of β-Glucan-Chitosan-PLGA Nanoparticles Controls Mycobacterium Tuberculosis in Mice,” and published in the journal, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
Jessica L. Reynolds, PhDUniversity of Buffalo
Dr. Reynolds, who is an associate professor of medicine in the Jacobs School, said rifampin works well but has two major drawbacks when taken orally: It can damage the liver and not enough of the drug reaches the lungs, where TB bacteria live.
To address this, she and her team developed a new way to deliver rifampin directly to the lungs by inhalation. Instead of pills, the drug is packaged into nanoparticles designed to be breathed in by the patient.
The nanoparticles have a biodegradable core that holds rifampin, an outer coating that helps them stick to macrophages and a natural molecule on the surface that both improves uptake by immune cells and boosts activity, said Hilliard L. Kutscher, PhD, first author and research assistant professor of medicine.
“These particles are specially built to go straight to the lungs and be taken up by lung immune cells called macrophages, which are where TB bacteria hide,” Dr. Kutscher said. “They are designed to slowly release rifampin over time, to stimulate the immune system to better fight TB and to reduce drug exposure to the rest of the body, lowering side effects.”
Both Dr. Kutscher and Dr. Reynolds noted that treatment may only be needed once a week instead of every day because the drug stays in the lungs longer using this form of delivery.
“Reducing treatment frequency could improve adherence, lower side effects and make TB care more accessible worldwide,” Dr. Reynolds said. “These findings support continued development of inhalable, long-acting TB therapies as a promising strategy to improve treatment outcomes and reduce the global impact of tuberculosis.”
