Single dose gel eliminates otitis in the study of animals within 24 hours

Ear infections are a common and painful event in infants and toddlers. Oral antibiotics are often prescribed for a week to treat the disease, but these drugs can trigger side effects that disrupt treatment, which can cause recurrence of infections and antibiotic resistance.

Now researchers in Nano ACS Report a topical antibiotic gel which – applied only once – was cultivated by an average ear infection within 24 hours in Chinchillas.

“I often receive emails from parents who asked me when our formulation is available, and I share their hope for a solution,” said Rong Yang, one of the research team leaders. “A single dose treatment for middle ear infections is a significant front step towards reducing the burden of families and improving results for young children.”

For the middle ear infections, the application of an antibiotic directly on the infected area rather than taking it orally could help reduce side effects such as yeast infections and stomach aches. However, these infections occur behind the tympanic membrane (tympanum) – a structure waterproof to most drugs. To overcome this problem, Yang, Wenjing Tang and his colleagues encapsulated the antibiotic ciprofloxacin in liposomes, which have been used for the delivery of other drugs because they interact with the cellular structure of membranes such as erects and skin to facilitate the opportunity.

Positively loaded liposomes are largely considered to be better than those negatively loaded to transport drugs through multilayer tissue such as skin. In this study, however, researchers discovered that negatively loaded liposomes were better able to deliver medication through infected eardrums. Using mouse cells, they found that this was due to the absorption of liposomes by immune cells that responded to infection.

The Yang team encapsulated the antibiotic ciprofloxacin in negative charged liposomes and added them to a temperature sensitive hydrogel to form an antibiotic balm. They then carried out experiments with chinchillas because the ears of animals are like human ears in response to the middle ear infections and treatment.

They applied one of the three formulations – ciprofloxacin in liposomes negatively loaded in frost, ciprofloxacin in liposomes charged positively in frost or ciprofloxacin in the gel – in the eardrums of infected penichas, and after the solidified frost for the supported release, the antibiotic moved through the Ear comrade, and after freezing for sustained release.

They found that all the chinchillas infected with the ear receiving gel containing ciprofloxacine encapsulated in negative charged liposomes were without infection within 24 hours. In addition, animals have shown no inflammation or recurrence of infection during the seven days of treatment. In comparison, after seven days, only part of the animals receiving freezing formulations with a free antibiotic (25%) or an antibiotic encapsulated in positively loaded liposomes (50%) were eliminated with infection, and their ear inflammation was similar to that of unsolved animals.

Yang, Tang and his colleagues suggest that a single dose of treatment for middle ear infections could improve patient compliance and potentially reduce the use of pediatric antibiotics, thus improving patient care.

“I am very excited by the next step in the translation of this laboratory technology to the clinic, as it has the potential to improve patient compliance, to reduce antibiotic resistance and, ultimately, how children receive antibiotics,” said Yang.