Efficacy of Liposomal Bismuth-Ethanedithiol-Loaded Tobramycin after Intratracheal Administration in Rats with Pulmonary Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection

Abstract

ABSTRACTWe sought to investigate alterations in quorum-sensing signal moleculeN-acyl homoserine lactone secretion and in the release ofPseudomonas aeruginosavirulence factors, as well as thein vivoantimicrobial activity of bismuth-ethanedithiol incorporated into a liposome-loaded tobramycin formulation (LipoBiEDT-TOB) administered to rats chronically infected withP. aeruginosa. The quorum-sensing signal moleculeN-acyl homoserine lactone was monitored by using a biosensor organism.P. aeruginosavirulence factors were assessed spectrophotometrically. An agar beads model of chronicPseudomonaslung infection in rats was used to evaluate the efficacy of the liposomal formulation in the reduction of bacterial count. The levels of active tobramycin in the lungs and the kidneys were evaluated by microbiological assay. LipoBiEDT-TOB was effective in disrupting both quorum-sensing signal moleculesN-3-oxo-dodeccanoylhomoserine lactone andN-butanoylhomoserine lactone, as well as significantly (P< 0.05) reducing lipase, chitinase, and protease production. At 24 h after 3 treatments, the CFU counts in lungs of animals treated with LipoBiEDT-TOB were of 3 log10CFU/lung, comparated to 7.4 and 4.7 log10CFU/lung, respectively, in untreated lungs and in lungs treated with free antibiotic. The antibiotic concentration after the last dose of LipoBiEDT-TOB was 25.1 μg/lung, while no tobramycin was detected in the kidneys. As for the free antibiotic, we found 6.5 μg/kidney but could not detect any tobramycin in the lungs. Taken together, LipoBiEDT-TOB reduced the production of quorum-sensing molecules and virulence factors and could highly improve the management of chronic pulmonary infection in cystic fibrosis patients.