2024-03-012024-03-012023Anjani, Q.K., Pandya, A.K., Demartis, S., Domínguez Robles, J., Moreno Castellanos, N., Li, H.,...,Donnelly, R.F. (2023). Liposome-loaded Polymeric Microneedles for Enhanced Skin Deposition of Rifampicin. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 646, 123446. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2023.123446.0378-51731873-3476https://hdl.handle.net/11441/155764Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a prevailing bacterial pathogen linked to superficial skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). Rifampicin (RIF), a potent antibiotic against systemic and localised staphylococcal infections, faces limitations due to its low solubility. This constraint hampers its therapeutic potential for MRSA-induced SSTIs. To address this, an advanced liposomal system was designed for efficient dermal RIF delivery. Rifampicin-loaded liposomes (LipoRIF) were embedded within polymeric dissolving microneedles (DMNs) to enable targeted intradermal drug delivery. A robust Design of Experiment (DoE) methodology guided the systematic preparation and optimisation of LipoRIF formulations. The optimal LipoRIF formulation integrated within polymeric DMNs. These LipoRIF-DMNs exhibited favourable mechanical properties and effective skin insertion characteristics. Notably, in vitro assays on skin deposition unveiled a transformative result – the DMN platform significantly enhanced LipoRIF deposition within the skin, surpassing LipoRIF dispersion alone. Moreover, LipoRIF-DMNs displayed minimal cytotoxicity toward cells. Encouragingly, rigorous in vitro antimicrobial evaluations demonstrated LipoRIF-DMNs' capacity to inhibit MRSA growth compared to the control group. LipoRIF-DMNs propose a potentially enhanced, minimally invasive approach to effectively manage SSTIs and superficial skin ailments stemming from MRSA infections.application/pdf20 p.engAtribución 4.0 Internacionalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Dissolving microneedlesLiposomeMRSARifampicinSkin infectioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess10.1016/j.ijpharm.2023.123446