Review
Current efforts and the
potential of nanomedicine in
treating fungal keratitis
Expert Rev. Ophthalmol. 5(3), 365–384 (2010)
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Keywords : antifungal • fungal keratitis • liposomes • microparticles • nanolipid carriers • nanoparticles
• solid lipid nanoparticles
Fungal infection of the cornea (mycotic or fungal keratitis, keratomycosis) was described for
the first time in 1879 in Germany, in a patient
who had a corneal ulcer caused by Aspergillus
spp. Until 1951, only 63 cases were reported
in the literature [1] , but nowadays fungal keratitis has spread worldwide, with a continuous
increase in the number of cases. The distribution pattern varies widely with geographic
location and season, factors that determine
the prevalence of etiological agents. The overall incidence tends to be higher in tropical and
subtropical regions, with Fusarium (20–83.6%),
Aspergillus (16.5–75%) and Candida (1–63%)
being the most frequent fungi causing keratitis
worldwide [2] . While Fusarium and Aspergillus
are the most common fungi isolated from
patients in the tropics, Candida albicans is the
most common pathogen of mycotic keratitis in
temperate regions [1,3] . Other pathogens are isolated to a minor extent, and include Penicillium
(incidence: 0.1–10%), Curvularia (incidence:
2.64–15.7%), Alternaria (incidence: 0.3–5%)
and Rhizopus (incidence: 0.06–1%) [4–11] . A
study conducted in north China reported that
fungal keratitis represented approximately 62%
of all cases of severe infective keratitis among the
A
ut
1
Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade
de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão
Preto, Av. do Café, s/n. Ribeirão Preto,
14040-903, São Paulo, Brazil
2
Faculty of Health Sciences, Fernando
Pessoa University, Rua Carlos da Maia,
Nr. 296, Office S.1, P-4200-150 Porto,
Portugal
3
Centre of Genetics and Biotechnology,
University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto
Douro (IBB/CGB-UTAD), PO Box 1013,
5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
†
Author for correspondence:
Tel.: +351 225 074 630
Fax: +351 225 074 637
eliana@ufp.edu.pt
Fungal infection of the cornea (mycotic or fungal keratitis, keratomycosis) is a serious disease
that can lead to loss of vision if not diagnosed and treated promptly and effectively. The
pharmacological approach of management of fungal keratitis involves administration of
antifungal agents. However, owing to the physiologic constraints of the eye, only a few drugs
define sufficient bioavailability. The need for more potent antifungals with increased activity,
shorter treatment durations and fewer adverse effects simultaneously stimulates the drive for
the development of new antifungal agents with a broader spectrum and improved
pharmacokinetic profile, and the development of advanced novel formulations for drug delivery
that could increase drug bioavailability while reducing the adverse effects. In this article, the
efforts and scientific potential of these two avenues are discussed. First, the classical and novel
antifungal drugs are presented. Second, the classical formulations are compared with the
advanced novel nanomedicines, and their potential clinical applications are discussed.
ho
Taís Gratieri1,
Guilherme M Gelfuso1,
Renata FV Lopez1 and
Eliana B Souto†2,3
www.expert-reviews.com
10.1586/EOP.10.19
inpatients from January 1999 to December 2004
[12] . Such high incidence is also reported in other
places such as India (44%) [13,14] , Brazil [15] ,
Australia [16] , Thailand (38%) [17] , south Florida
(35%) [18] , Nepal (17%) [19] , Saudi Arabia [20]
and Ghana (37.6%) [21] . However, in temperate
climates, such as Britain and the northern USA,
the incidence of fungal keratitis is comparatively
low [9–11] .
Mycotic keratitis is a serious disease that can
lead to loss of vision if not diagnosed and treated
promptly and effectively [1] . Regardless of the
cause of keratitis, migration of inflammatory
cells into the cornea can result in a disruption
of the critical condition that maintains transparency, leading to corneal opacification or complete blindness [22] . However, the high morbidity of this condition is not only related to the
migration of inflammatory cells, but also to the
physical damage caused by the presence of fungal organisms, secondary damage from fungal
toxins and enzymes [23] , frequently delayed diagnosis, and poor response to available therapeutic
options [24] .
Fungi cannot penetrate the intact healthy corneal epithelium and do not enter the cornea from
episcleral limbal vessels. Hence, trauma is related
© 2010 Expert Reviews Ltd
ISSN 1746-9899
365
Gratieri, Gelfuso, Lopez & Souto
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the treatment of fungal infections [49,50] . However, its clinical
use is associated with numerous adverse effects [51] . The search
for newer systemic antifungals led to the discovery of the azoles
in the 1960s, with the release of ketoconazole in the early 1980s
followed by fluconazole and itraconazole in the early 1990s [52] .
These agents were available in oral formulations and demonstrated a relatively improved safety profile compared with that
of amphotericin B. Nevertheless, they still present a less than
optimal pharmacokinetic profile and, in some cases, a narrow
spectrum of activity.
The need for more potent antifungals with increased activity
against resistant pathogens, shorter treatment durations and fewer
adverse effects stimulates both the drive for the development of new
antifungal agents with broader spectrum and better pharmaco
kinetic profile, and the development of advanced novel formulations for drug delivery that could increase drug bioavailability
while reducing the adverse effects.
In this article, the efforts and potential of these two avenues
are discussed. First, the classical and novel antifungal drugs are
presented. The classical formulations are then compared with
the advanced novel formulations proposed, and the potential of
these are discussed.
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to most fungal keratitis cases reported in developing countries
[5,15,25] , especially among agricultural or outdoor workers [26,27]
exposed to corneal trauma with plant or soil matter [4,28] , which
could either introduce the fungus directly into a corneal epithelial defect or, alternatively, cause a defect to become infected
following trauma. Morbidity in these cases can be aggravated by
malnutrition [29] and lack of access to healthcare [30] .
Another risk factor for fungal keratitis in industrialized
countries is contact lens wear [31] . One hypothesis suggests that
microscopic defects are introduced by lens wear that enhance
microorganism adherence to the otherwise nonadherent corneal
epithelium [32,33] . Candida is the principal cause of keratitis associated with therapeutic contact lenses, although cases by filamentous fungi have been reported [34,35] . Recently, there have been
epidemic increases in Fusarium keratitis associated with particular
contact lens solutions in several parts of the world [36–39] .
Less frequently reported risk factors include prolonged use of
topical corticosteroids [9,10] and antibacterials, systemic diseases
such as diabetes mellitus [40] , immunosuppressive diseases [11] ,
prolonged chemo- or immunosuppressive therapy [41] , previous
eye surgery [42] and chronic eye surface diseases [11] .
The diagnosis is difficult since the symptoms are usually nonspecific; they include tearing, pain, photophobia, a decrease in
vision and redness [43] . Another problem is that features of keratitis
caused by yeasts may resemble bacterial keratitis, misleading the
diagnosis. In addition, since many of the filamentous fungi grow
slowly, the disease often remains unrecognized and untreated for
days or weeks until growth is visually detected [32] . In advanced
suppurative cases, ulcerative lesions or granular infiltrations in the
corneal epithelium may be seen [29] . Pathologic specimens of filamentous fungal keratitis demonstrate hyphae following the tissue
planes of the cornea, lying parallel to the corneal collagen lamellae [32] . Neovascularisation may occur as a result of inflammation,
which may lead to severe scarring of the cornea. Associated signs
indicating the severity of inflammation include the presence of
hypopyon and ciliary injection. It is important to determine the
etiologic agent of the corneal ulcer. Diagnosis is usually achieved
by scraping material from the base of the ulcer and culturing the
material on solid and liquid media [24] .
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Pharmacological treatments
The pharmacological approach to the management of fungal keratitis involves the administration of antifungal agents.
However, owing to the physiologic constraints of the eye, only
a few drugs present adequate bioavailability [44] . Although surgical options (e.g., therapeutic keratoplasty) have a high incidence of infection recurrence [45] , in most cases surgery may
be recommended [46] . In extremely severe cases, enucleation or
evisceration is needed [47,48] .
Until the 1940s, relatively few agents were available for the
treatment of systemic fungal infections. Nystatin was the first
polyene antifungal to be identified in the late 1940s; however,
its use has been discontinued owing to corneal toxicity and poor
ocular penetration. By the late 1950s, the broader spectrum,
more effective amphotericin B represented a major advance in
366
Classical antifungal drugs
Polyenes
Polyenes exert their antifungal effect by binding to the ergosterol in the fungal cell membrane, blocking fungal growth or
altering membrane permeability [53] . Amphotericin B can also
induce oxidative damage, which may contribute to its fungicidal
action [54] . The extent of damage to fungal membranes is dose
related; however, beyond a certain concentration, human cells
may be affected, which accounts for the polyenes’ toxic effects.
Natamycin and amphotericin B are the two antifungal agents of
this class in current use for the treatment of ophthalmic mycoses.
Natamycin
Natamycin, a tetraene polyene, has long been considered the
mainstay of treatment for filamentous fungal keratitis [55,56] . As
natamycin is poorly soluble in water it is presented as a 5% topical ophthalmic suspension. The initial dosage is normally one
drop every hour. Therapy is generally continued for 14–21 days
or until there is resolution of active fungal keratitis [301] . It is
reported to have a broad spectrum of activity against various
fungi, including species of Fusarium, Aspergillus, Candida and
Penicillium [2,57,58] , although its main limitation is its poor penetration after topical application. This has been attributed to
the tissue binding, since 97% of the drug that enters the cornea
quickly becomes biologically inactivated [59] . Therapeutic concentrations can still be achieved in the aqueous humor with intense
topical administration after removal of the corneal epithelium [59] .
Amphotericin B
Amphotericin B is a macrolid polyene with two special physicochemical properties: amphiphilic behavior owing to the apolar
and polar sides of the lactone ring and amphoteric behavior owing
Expert Rev. Ophthalmol. 5(3), (2010)
Current efforts & the potential of nanomedicine in treating fungal keratitis
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result in successful outcomes [72–75] . Nonetheless, corneal toxicity
has been reported, manifesting itself as a row of pinpoint vesicular
elevations in the corneal epithelium associated with surrounding superficial punctate keratitis [74,76] . With the later discovery
of other antifungal agents with better pharmacokinetic properties, its use has declined. Notwithstanding, miconazole 1% is
one of the most common topical antifungal drugs employed in
veterinary cases of fungal keratitis [77–79] .
Ketoconazole has pharmacological properties similar to that of
miconazole; however, it is absorbable from the gastrointestinal
tract and less toxic [80] . It is currently available as oral preparation worldwide. The adult dose of ketoconazole is normally
200–400 mg/day, which can be increased to 800 mg/day.
However, gynecomastia, oligospermia and decreased libido
have been reported in 5–15% of patients who have been taking
400 mg/day for a long period [301] . Recent in vitro susceptibility
studies have shown that the majority of the ocular fungal isolates,
including Aspergillus, Candida and some Fusarium species, were
sensitive to ketoconazole [81,82] . The oral preparation is often
used concomitantly to other topical antifungal agents [83–85] ,
although it can also be administered topically without significant
corneal toxicity signs [86] . However, the drawback is its poor
water solubility [87] . Case reports can be found in the literature
of patients with laboratory-proven fungal corneal infections that
were successfully treated with topical ketoconazole. The clinical
signs of corneal infection normally disappear after 3–7 weeks
of therapy [86] .
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to the presence of ionizable carboxyl and amine groups (Table 1) .
As a consequence of its amphiphilic and zwitterionic nature and
the asymmetrical distribution of hydrophobic and hydrophilic
groups, amphotericin B is poorly soluble in all aqueous solvents
and in many organic solvents [60] .
The primary advantages of amphotericin B include its fungicidal activity against most clinically relevant pathogens [58]
and the low occurrence of resistance [61] . It has been widely
administered by intravenous, topical, intracameral and intravitreal routes for therapy of ocular infections [56,62–64] . The
intravenous administration is the treatment of choice for invasive fungal infections, but this route may cause poor corneal
bioavailability and severe nephrotoxicity [65] . Similarly to natamycin, the corneal penetration of amphotericin B is reduced in
the presence of an intact corneal epithelium [59] . The topical
regime often includes administration every 30 min for the first
24 h and every hour for the second 24 h, before being slowly
tapered according to the clinical response [301] . Subconjunctival
injection has been reported to lead to severe toxic effects, and
is no longer recommended. Intracameral injections of amphotericin B may be an effective adjunctive treatment for fungal
keratitis unresponsive to conventional antifungal therapy [66] ,
although cataract may occur [67] . A case reported the use of
intrastromal corneal injections combined with intravitreal
injection of amphotericin B that led to the eradication of
the corneal fungal plaques and the intraocular infection [68] .
Intravitreal administration, although commonly used [69] , has
been reported to cause retinal necrosis and detachment if the
injection is not made slowly and exactly in the center of the
vitreous, as far as possible from the retina [2] .
Review
Azoles
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The azoles, discovered in the late 1960s, are totally synthetic.
They are inhibitors of a cytochrome P450 fungal enzyme involved
in the conversion of lanosterol into ergosterol, an essential sterol in
fungal cell membranes. The decrease in ergosterol synthesis leads
to increased permeability of the fungal cell membrane, alteration
of membrane enzymes, inhibition of growth and death of the
fungal cell [70] .
The azoles are classified as imidazoles or triazoles, on the basis
of whether they have two or three nitrogens in the five-membered
azole ring. The imidazoles include clotrimazole, isoconazole,
econazole, miconazole and ketoconazole, the last two mostly
being used in the treatment of ocular fungal infections. The
triazoles include fluconazole and itraconazole.
Imidazoles
Miconazole is usually reserved as a second-line drug in the
management of fungal keratitis. Very low miconazole levels are
obtained in the cornea after intravenous injection, but following the subconjunctival injection higher levels can be noted in
corneas with debridement of corneal epithelium. Similarly, after
topical administration the penetration is almost ten times higher
in debrided corneas [71] . Topical, subconjunctival and intravenous
administrations of miconazole have been reported in the 1980s to
www.expert-reviews.com
Triazoles
Fluconazole is a bistriazole antifungal compound with improved
physical and pharmacokinetic properties. Fluconazole is a stable,
nontoxic, water-soluble, low-molecular-weight (306.2 Da) compound that can be administered by several routes, such as topical [88–92] , subconjuntival [93] , intravitreal [94] and systemic [95,96] .
The subconjunctival regime consists of fluconazole 2% up to
1.0 ml twice daily for at least 5 days [93] .
Abbasoglu et al. achieved a fluconazole aqueous humor peak
concentration in humans upon single- and multiple-drop applications of a 0.2% solution of 3.35 ± 0.64 and 7.13 ± 0.79 µg/ml,
respectively, after 15 min [97] . Antifungal susceptibility tests
have reported that among the most common etiological agents
in fungal keratitis, Fusarium is the most resistant genera to
fluconazole, exhibiting an in vitro MIC of 32–64 µg/ml [98] .
Some studies reported lower MIC values for Alternaria alternata
(12 µg/ml), Aspergillus (8 µg/ml), Candida (0.2–0.8 µg/ml),
Penicillium (4 µg/ml), Curvularia (6–64 µg/ml) and Rhizopus
(4–32 µg/ml) [99–102] . Based on this data, topically applied fluconazole may only be effective for the treatment of less resistant
fungi. It is possible that higher aqueous humor concentrations,
which would cover the MIC for most pathological agents, could
be obtained with multiple-dose administration.
Itraconazole, a dioxolane triazole, is very hydrophobic with a relatively higher molecular weight (705.6 Da). It is well absorbed orally,
although more than 90% binds to protein in serum [103] . The major
drawback of using itraconazole by the oral route for therapy of ocular
367
368
Cl
HO
O
O
Structure
Compiled from [302,303].
Miconazole
Azoles
Amphotericin-B
Natamycin
Polyenes
Drug
Cl
O
O
O
Cl
H
Cl
H
O
OH
N
N
HO
O
O
OH
OH
NH2
OH
OH
O
OH
OH
O
O
OH
NH2
O
OH
OH
OH
O
ho
HO
ut
O
A
OH
OH
OH
16.1
924.1
665.7
MW
ro
6.5
rP
5.7
10.0
pKa
Subconjunctival administration generally
well tolerated
Corneal toxicity
Poor intact corneal penetration
Fungicidal activity against most clinically
relevant pathogens
Nephrotoxicity
Retinal necrosis and detachment following
intravitreal administration
Broad spectrum of activity
Poor intact corneal penetration after topical
application
Low bioavailability
of
6.2
-2.8
-3.7
Log P Advantage/disadvantage
Table 1. Physicochemical properties, advantages and disadvantages of the classical antifungal compounds used for the treatment of
ocular fungal infections.
Review
Gratieri, Gelfuso, Lopez & Souto
Expert Rev. Ophthalmol. 5(3), (2010)
www.expert-reviews.com
F
F
Cl
F
F
O
N
N
N
N
OH
N
OH
N
N
N
Structure
Compiled from [302,303].
Voriconazole
New azoles
Itraconazole
Fluconazole
Ketoconazole
Azoles (cont.)
Drug
Cl
N
N
N
O
N
N
N
O
F
N
N
O
O
H
O
N
N
Cl
N
ut
O
A
N
N
O
N
N
ho
Cl
4.9
12.0
349.3
705.6
306.2
531.4
MW
ro
3.7
rP
2.0
2.9
6.5
pKa
1.8
2.5
Excellent safety profile
Hydrophobic, high molecular weight: poor
bioavailabily
Narrow spectrum coverage
Excellent safety profile
Stable, water-soluble
Good intraocular penetration
Poor in vitro activity vs most strains of
Aspergillus and Fusarium spp.
The oral preparation is often used
concomitantly to other topical antifungal
agents with good outcome
Poor water solubility
Requires acid pH for absorption
Broader spectrum of activity
Greater efficacy
Reversible disturbance of vision and skin rashes
as common side effects
Rapid vitreal clearance
of
5.6
0.5
4.3
Log P Advantage/disadvantage
Table 1. Physicochemical properties, advantages and disadvantages of the classical antifungal compounds used for the treatment of
ocular fungal infections.
Current efforts & the potential of nanomedicine in treating fungal keratitis
Review
369
370
HO
H2N
HO
HO
H2N
Structure
Compiled from [302,303].
Micafungin
Caspofungin
Echinocandins
Drug
O
HO
N
O
O
OH
O
N
H
H
N
H
N
O
O
HN
O
O
N
HO
HO
O
OH
H3C
CH3
OH
A
O
H2N
N
N
H
OH
HO
N
OH
NH
H
O
NH
HN
O
O
O
O
H
N
HO
O
NH
OH
OH
N
ho
CH3
O
CH3
ut
O
O
S
O
OH
OH
OH
Water soluble
Excellent in vitro activity against both Candida
and Aspergillus
High-molecular-weight rends poor intact
corneal topical penetration
of
1270.3 -0.4
Fungicidal activity against fluconazole-resistant
fungi strains
High-molecular-weight rends poor intact
corneal topical penetration
Log P Advantage/disadvantage
1093.3 -2.8
MW
ro
9.1
rP
--
pKa
Table 1. Physicochemical properties, advantages and disadvantages of the classical antifungal compounds used for the treatment of
ocular fungal infections.
Review
Gratieri, Gelfuso, Lopez & Souto
Expert Rev. Ophthalmol. 5(3), (2010)
Current efforts & the potential of nanomedicine in treating fungal keratitis
Allylamines prevent fungal ergosterol biosynthesis via specific
and selective inhibition of fungal squalene epoxidase, thereby
interfering with the integrity of fungal cell membrane [108] .
Allylamines are less frequently used in the treatment of ocular
fungal infections compared with polyenes and azoles. Antifungal
agents belonging to this class include amorolfine, butenafine, naftifine and terbinafine, with terbinafine being the most commonly
used compound [109] .
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Novel antifungal drugs
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Novel antifungal drugs were developed with the aim of solving
classical antifungal therapy problems such as severe toxicity (polyenes), narrow antifungal spectrum (especially against filamentous fungi), rapid development of resistance (most azoles), and
fungistatic rather than fungicidal effects at the achieved ocular
concentrations. Some of these problems are not yet completely
solved, but the advances made are presented.
Newer azoles
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The newest triazole agents, including ravuconazole, isavuconazole, posaconazole and voriconazole, are synthetic derivatives
of fluconazole but have a significantly broader spectrum of activity [57] . Voriconazole is the better studied compound, and up until
now there are no records of the clinical efficacy of the other new
azole agents against fungal keratitis, with the exception of a few
reports describing the use of posaconazole [110–112] .
Voriconazole
Voriconazole is a new antifungal drug derived from fluconazole
by the addition of a methyl group to the propyl backbone and
by the substitution of a triazole moiety with a fluoropyrimidine
group [113] . The molecular alterations conferred to voriconazole a
broader spectrum of activity and greater efficacy than its parent
compound, fluconazole. However, voriconazole presents more side
effects and drug interactions. The most common side effect is a
reversible disturbance of vision (photopsia), which may include
blurred vision, altered color discrimination and photophobia.
These symptoms are related to changes in electroretinogram tracings, which revert to normal when treatment with the drug is
stopped; no permanent damage to the retina has been noted. Skin
rashes are the second most common adverse effect and elevations
in hepatic enzyme levels may also occur [114] .
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Allylamines
The mechanism of action is the same as the other azole agents,
but voriconazole also inhibits the 24-methylene dihydrolanasterol
demethylation in certain yeast and filamentous fungi [113,114] . The
greater efficacy can be confirmed by in vitro susceptibility tests.
In general, the MIC of voriconazole for C. albicans is 1–2 log
lower than the MIC of fluconazole [115] . It also appears to be very
effective in the management of ocular infections caused by many
filamentous fungi [40] , especially in the management of Aspergillus
ocular infections, as compared with other antif ungals [82] .
Numerous case reports indicate that voriconazole treatment has
been successful where natamycin, amphotericin B or fluconazole
have failed, even in cases of drug-resistant fungal keratitis and
endophthalmitis [116–122] .
Voriconazole is well absorbed following oral administration,
with a bioavailability of 90%. A study by Hariprasad et al. demonstrated that orally administered voriconazole achieves therapeutic
aqueous and vitreous levels in the noninflamed human eye [123] .
After two doses, the mean plasma concentration of voriconazole
was 2.13 μg/ml, which resulted in voriconazole concentrations of
0.81 μg/ml in the vitreous and 1.13 μg/ml in the aqueous. The
activity spectrum appeared to appropriately encompass the most
frequently encountered mycotic species involved in the various
causes of fungal endophthalmitis. A similar result was described
in a case report of an eye with Scedosporium apiospermum keratitis
that went on to corneal transplant. It was found that aqueous
voriconazole levels following 12 days of oral treatment in the
aqueous humor was 1.8 μg/ml, almost seven times higher than
the MIC for that specific strain [124] .
Topical therapy may also be used in conjunction with oral therapy to increase the amount of drug in the anterior chamber [125] .
The topical administration of voriconazole 1% solution every 2 h
for 1 day in noninflamed human eyes prior to planned vitrectomy
surgery resulted in a mean concentration of 6 μg/ml of the drug
in the aqueous and 0.15 μg/ml in the vitreous, demonstrating
that the drug penetrates well beyond the cornea when applied
topically [126] . These results are in accordance with other studies
that applied voriconazole topical solution. Recently, a prospective
open-label trial involving ten participants that received topically
administered 1% voriconazole solution hourly for four doses or
four times a day for 3 days, obtained voriconazole concentrations
ranging from 0.1 to 1.1 μg/ml in the vitreous humor [127] . In a
similar study, 13 human subjects scheduled for elective anterior
segment eye surgery received hourly 2% voriconazole eye drops
at 4 h presurgery. Significantly, the voriconazole concentration
in the aqueous humor of the eye was similar to that reported
for the 1% voriconazole solution, suggestive of concentrationindependent absorption through an intact infection-free cornea
[128] . This is consistent with observations in a recent animal study,
where the voriconazole level in the corneas of horses with fungal
keratitis did not change when the administered voriconazole eye
drop concentration was changed from 1 to 3% [129] . In addition, in the study conducted by Lau et al. it was also observed
that no accumulation of voriconazole in the vitreous humour
could be detected with a four-times-a-day dosing regimen, suggesting that voriconazole is cleared very rapidly from the posterior
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fungal infections is its poor penetration into the cornea, aqueous
humor and vitreous compared with fluconazole and ketoconazole.
However, oral itraconazole was found to be effective in a case of
fungal keratitis of the eye caused by Pichia anomala when used in
combination with topical amphotericin B and natamycin [64], and in
a case of fungal keratitis caused by Scedosporium apiospermum [104] .
Topical itraconazole also proved to be useful for treating infections caused by Aspergillus or Curvularia spp. [105,106] . Topical
itraconazole has also been reported as effective in treating animal models of Fusarium keratitis [107] , even though its spectrum
coverage is narrow against these species [57,82] .
Review
371
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Gratieri, Gelfuso, Lopez & Souto
chamber [127] . This hypothesis is also consistent with results by
Shen et al., where the concentration of intravitreal voriconazole at
various time points was reported to exhibit exponential decay with
a half-life of 2.5 h after single intravitreal injections in a rabbit
model [130] . This suggests that in severe cases of fungal keratitis,
where pathogens have already spread into the eye or there is a risk
of fungal endophthalmitis, considerably higher concentrations of
voriconazole or a slow-release formulation would be necessary to
sustain therapeutic drug levels in the posterior chamber.
lesions. Although corneal penetration of micafungin has not
been studied yet, the penetration into the deep corneal stroma
through an intact epithelial layer seems limited because of its high
molecular weight (1292.26 Da). There has been one case report
of the clinical application of topical micafungin eyedrops in the
treatment of refractory yeast-related corneal ulcers with a satisfactory outcome [140] . Moreover, topical instillation of micafungin
solution had no apparent toxicity to the cornea [141] .
Classical formulations
of
The eye is characterized by physiological barriers that limit drug
entrance from the blood circulation to its inner structures. These
are the blood–aqueous and the blood–retinal barriers [142] . As a
consequence, systemic or oral drug therapy requires large drug
dosages to reach the site of action in proper amounts, which may
cause significant systemic side effects [143] . Intravitreal, periocular
and subconjunctival injections could minimize systemic exposure of the drug, but the use of these systems is followed by a
series of disadvantages. The intravitreally injected drug is rapidly
eliminated by the eye’s natural circulatory process and therefore
frequent injections may be required. Likewise, large doses are
often needed, giving rise to toxicological problems. Besides, there
are also relevant side effects, such as pain, discomfort, increased
intraocular pressure, intraocular bleeding, increased chances for
infection and the risk of retinal detachment. The major complication for intravitreal injection is endophtalmitis, which can result
in severe vision loss [144–146] . In addition, ocular injections are not
well accepted by patients. The topical administration is the most
convenient route for the management of ocular fungal infections,
especially for infection affecting the cornea and anterior chamber
structures. Therefore, although sometimes not the most efficient,
the topical route is the first choice for starting the administration
of drugs on the treatment of ocular fungal infections. The classical
formulations applied include topical solutions or suspensions in the
form of eye drops or ointments in the form of night creams. More
recently, lipid complexes of amphotericin B have also been applied.
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Echinocandins are lipopeptides that have been synthetically modified from the fermentation broths of various fungi, and have
recently emerged as valuable antifungal agents.
They possess a unique mechanism of action, inhibiting b-(1,3)d-glucan synthase, an enzyme that is necessary for the synthesis
of essential components of the cell wall of several fungi. The
depletion of these components results in an abnormally weak cell
wall unable to withstand osmotic stress [131] . The echinocandins
display fungistatic activity against Aspergillus spp. and fungicidal
activity against most Candida spp., including strains that are fluconazole resistant. Overall, resistance to echinocandins is still
rare and all agents are well tolerated, with similar adverse effect
profiles and few drug–drug interactions [132] .
Three echinocandins have been approved by the US FDA,
namely caspofungin, micafungin and anidulafungin, but up until
now there is no record of anidulafungin applied for the treatment
of keratitis.
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Echinocandins
Caspofungin
A
ut
Caspofungin was the first approved member of the class; it
has the most available data and the most indications of the
echinocandins [122,133] .
Several studies have recently compared the efficacy of topical
caspofungin with that of topical amphotericin B. When using
an animal model of C. albicans keratitis the authors observed
comparable results for 0.5% caspofungin and 0.15% amphotericin B [134] . Similar results were also found for 1% caspofungin
and 0.15% amphotericin B topical solutions in an animal model
of Fusarium solani keratitis [135] .
Since caspofungin has a high molecular weight of 1093.5 Da,
the topical administration without corneal epithelium abrasion
resulted in no detectable amounts of the drug in the aqueous
humor. However, after corneal epithelial abrasion, therapeutic
drug levels that cover the MIC of most fungi could be reached [136] .
Micafungin
Micafungin is a water-soluble echinocandin with excellent in vitro
activity against Candida, Aspergillus and some fungi resistant to
other antifungal agents [137,138] .
Hiraoka et al. evaluated the efficacy of subconjunctival injection of 0.1% micafungin in the treatment of experimental
C. albicans keratitis and observed complete healing of the corneal
lesions in six out of eight eyes treated [139] . The remaining two
eyes where the drug was not effective presented deeper corneal
372
Topical eye drops
In several cases, intensive topical antifungal therapy involves the
use of multiple antifungal eye drops in very short administration intervals (e.g., half an hour) [147] . Protection mechanisms of
the human eye such as lachrymal secretion and blinking reflex
cause rapid drainage of the topically applied eye drops [148] . The
short precorneal residence time allied with cornea impermeability results in low bioavailability, and frequent dosing is usually
needed to compensate for the rapid precorneal drug loss.
Water-soluble drugs can be administered in the form of solutions
and relatively insoluble drug substances in an aqueous vehicle as a
form of suspensions. In this case, the vehicle must contain suitable
suspending and dispersing agents to allow good drug redispersibility, maintaining the uniformity of drug dosage. Controlled flocculation of suspensions can be accomplished by adding electrolytes,
ionic or nonionic surfactants, or even water-soluble polymers [149] .
Owing to the particles’ tendency to be retained in the cul-de-sac,
the contact time and duration of action of a suspension exceed
Expert Rev. Ophthalmol. 5(3), (2010)
Current efforts & the potential of nanomedicine in treating fungal keratitis
Formulations with enhanced solubility
of
Enhanced ocular retention of oily vehicles has been reported for
more than 30 years [158] , being attributed to their interaction with
the superficial oily layer of the tear film. As a consequence, initial
attempts to overcome the poor bioavailability of topically instilled
drugs typically involved the use of ointments.
Ointments ensured superior drug bioavailability by increasing contact time with the eye, minimizing dilution by tears and
resisting nasolachrymal drainage. However, these vehicles have
the major drawback of being uncomfortable and causing blurred
vision. Consequently, they are mainly used for either administration overnight or for treatment on the outside and edges of
eyelids [159] . A series of antifungal drugs have already been formulated in ointments, such as natamycin [152] , amphotericin B [160] ,
miconazole [161] and itraconazole [83,84] , although in most cases a
combined therapy is used.
Lipid complexes
To increase the therapeutic index of amphotericin B, lipid
complexes were developed. In the commercial drugs Abelcet ®
(The Liposome Company, NJ, USA) and Amphocil® (Sequus
Pharmaceuticals, Inc., CA, USA), amphotericin B has been formulated with two phospholipids in a 1:1 drug to lipid molar
ratio. Amphotec® (Sequus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., CA, USA) is an
amphotericin B formulation with cholesterol sulfate in equimolar
concentrations. Amphotec particles resemble discs and have a
similar antifungal efficacy to Fungizone but with lower cytotoxic
and hemolytic effects. The reduction of renal toxicity has been
attributed to the strong affinity of amphotericin B to the cholesterol moieties, which reduces the amount of free amphotericin B
in the circulation [60] . A case of Fusarium solani keratitis that
progressed to fungal endophthalmitis was successfully treated
systemically with the amphotericin B lipid complex Abelcet [162] .
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The most important drawback to the formulation of most
common antifungal agents is their scarce solubility in water.
Such are the cases of amphotericin B (solubility: 0.001 mg/ml;
pKa: 5.7) [60] , miconazole (solubility: ≤0.00103 mg/ml; pKa: 6.5),
ketoconazole (solubility: 0.017 mg/ml; pKa: 6.5) and itraconazole (solubility: 1.8 mg/ml; pKa: 3.7) [153] . Several attempts
have been made to obtain drug formulations suitable for intravenous and topical ophthalmic administration with adequate
drug concentrations.
Cyclodextrins have been used to increase ketoconazole aqueous
solubility [154] . When hydroxypropyl b-cyclodextrin was used, it
produced more than a twelvefold bioavailability increase after
topical instillation in rabbit corneas when compared with the classical ketoconazole suspension [87] . The solubilities of voriconazole,
ketoconazole and clotrimazole were also significantly improved
with this cyclodextrin in aqueous media [155] .
The solubilizer effect of acetate, phosphate and gluconate solutions, along with ethanol, glycerol, macrogol 400, propylene glycol, and surfactants such as polysorbate 20, 60, 80 and sodium
taurocholeate, were studied in binary or ternary combinations.
Ternary combinations were capable of solubilizing more than
30 mg/ml miconazole and more than 135 mg/ml of ketoconazole [153] . Nevertheless, for the ocular administration of these
solutions further tolerability studies must be performed.
Another example is the colloidal dispersion of amphotericin B
with sodium deoxycholate (Fungizone® ; Bristol-Myers Squibb
Co., NJ, USA), which became available in 1958 for the treatment of fungal infections [60] . However, the topical application
of such a formulation is known to induce corneal lesions [26,156] .
More recent studies have focused on the development of more
biocompatible micelles. Micelles composed of a block copolymer
poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-block-poly(aspartic acid) containing
amphotericin B (Fungizone) were able to increase drug solubility
and efficiency with lower cytotoxicity [157] .
Ointments
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those of a solution [150] . The retention may increase with particle
size; however, it is recommended that particles should not exceed
10 μm so that they do not cause discomfort.
Several antifungal drugs have been tested in the form of topical
eye drops. These drugs may include natamycin [83] , amphotericin B
[62,107,151] , miconazole [74,152] , ketoconazole [86] , fluconazole [88–92] ,
itraconazole [107] , voriconazole [107,125] , caspofungin [134,135] and
micafungin [140] .
The contact time with the target ocular tissue may depend
on the physicochemical properties of the drug and the body’s
clearance mechanisms, but may also be highly influenced by the
vehicle chosen for drug delivery. Even for the newer antifungal
compounds, it has been observed that corneal penetration is insufficient. A recent study concluded that to achieve a sustained high
level of caspofungin as an effective antifungal therapy for corneal
keratitis, the drug should be administered topically every 30 min
after removal of the corneal epithelium [136] . However, developing a sustained-release ocular preparation would overcome the
requirement for a frequent dosing.
Review
www.expert-reviews.com
Advanced novel formulations
The clinical efficacy of an antifungal agent in ophthalmic mycoses depends, to a great extent, on the concentration achieved in the
target ocular tissue [163] . Unfortunately, in several cases, topical
treatment with classical formulations is not effective enough.
The ability of a drug to penetrate the eye is primarily dependent on its physicochemical properties, such as molecular weight,
pKa (which determines the nonionized/ionized proportion of the
molecule at a certain pH) and log P, which provides information
about its lipophilicity.
With respect to drug delivery, the cornea can be divided into
three layers, namely the outer epithelium (lipophilic in nature),
the stroma (hydrophilic in nature) and the inner endothelium (also
lipophilic) [164,165] . In the human eye, the epithelium contains five
to seven layers of cells, each connected by tight junctions, which
provide a large barrier that is permeable only to small lipophilic
molecules. Because the cornea has hydrophilic as well as lipophilic tissues, it provides an effective bifunctional barrier for the
absorption of both lipophilic and hydrophilic compounds. In this
way, the overall absorption of moderately lipophilic compounds
across the cornea is favored (log P 2–3) [166] . Regardless of the
373
Gratieri, Gelfuso, Lopez & Souto
of
biological degradation [168] . Increased residence time of drugs and
maintenance of their therapeutic concentrations for longer time
intervals could reduce the number of subconjunctival and intravitreal injections required in some treatments, while allowing higher
doses without toxicity from initial concentration. A drawback is
that intravitreal injections of particulate systems may cause vitreal clouding [170] . However, microparticles tend to sink to the
lower part of the vitreal cavity, whereas nanoparticles are more
likely to cause clouding in the vitreous [145] . It is also suggested
that nanoparticles increase the residence time owing to their bioadhesive nature, a property that would be especially useful for topical delivery. Different polymers can be used to coat nanoparticles
and improve adhesion. Studies have shown, for example, that
the bioavailability of encapsulated indomethacin doubled when
poly(e-caprolacton) nanoparticles were coated with chitosan [171] .
In addition, microparticles formed of PLGA and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as a core material and mucoadhesion promoter, respectively, showed prolonged residence time in rabbit eyes [172] . In this
way, the ideal size and composition of a polymeric colloidal system
would depend on the target. For instance, microparticles can be
more effective than nanoparticles for intravitreal administration,
but if they are larger than 10 μm they could cause an uncomfortable
‘sand-like’ feeling after topical administration [172,173] . In addition,
depending on the drug, higher encapsulation efficiency can be
obtained in microparticles than nanoparticles.
The encapsulation of antifungal agents in nanoparticulate carriers has been used with the objective of modifying the pharmacokinetics of drugs, resulting in more efficient treatments with fewer
side effects. Although there are no records to date of applying
these systems for the treatment of ophthalmic fungal infections,
they have been studied for the treatment of similar infections in
other organs with promising results.
Several recently published works describe the production of
nanoparticles containing amphotericin B aiming to control drug
delivery and reduce toxicity [174–177] . For example, amphotericin B
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administration route, most of the antifungal drugs available do
not possess the required physicochemical properties to be absorbed
and reach or enter target tissues (Tables 1 & 2) .
A promising strategy to overcome these problems involves the
development of suitable drug-carrier systems. The in vivo fate of
the drug is no longer dependent on the properties of the drug but
on the carrier, which should maximize precorneal drug absorption,
minimize precorneal drug loss and allow a controlled and localized
release of the active drug, while maintaining the simplicity and
convenience of the dosage form.
Since only a limited percentage of the administered drug reaches
the target tissue, patient compliance is an important aspect to consider when developing an ophthalmic delivery system. As such,
attention should be paid to the facility of administration and to
the sensorial feeling after the administration, since discomfort
(e.g., burning sensation) could induce tear production, followed
by drug dilution and drainage through nasolachrymal duct.
Other important aspects to be considered are the retention time,
drug-loading capacity and drug protection from metabolic degradation. In fact, if the drug-carrier system is able to prolong the
retention while loading a sufficient amount of drug in a protected
manner, the interval between administrations can be lengthened.
For instance, in the case of intravitreal injections, the reduction
in the number of injections would also reduce the potential side
effects. Apart from these, all the factors that would influence the
overall costs should also be considered, such as the possibility of
scaling up production, sterilizing, and the physical and chemical
storage stability of the product.
Novel colloidal delivery systems such as polymeric nano- and
microparticles, liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, and nanostructured lipid carriers, are currently being studied in attempt
to fulfill all these requirements.
ro
Review
Polymeric micro- & nanoparticles
A
A controlled-release strategy is to encapsulate the drug in polymeric microparticles (1–1000 μm) or
nanoparticles (1–999 nm). These systems Table 2. General in vitro MIC50 values for the different antifungals
consist of various biocompatible poly- against the most common pathogens in fungal keratitis.
meric matrices in which the drug can be Antifungals
MIC50 (μg/ml)
Ref.
adsorbed, entrapped or covalently attached
Fusarium
Aspergillus Candida
[167] . Biodegradable and biocompatible syn[57,221–224]
4–8
2–32
4–33†
thetic polymers such as poly(d,l-lactide- Natamycin
[57,58,81,82,98,99,137,221,222,225]
0.25–2
0.25–1
co-glycolide) (PLGA) and polyalkylcya- Amphotericin B 0.5–32
noacrylates are preferred for nanoparticle Miconazole
[58,226]
8
2
1–10†
production. Nonetheless, use of polysac†
†
†
[58,81,82]
Ketoconazole 2–16
0.06–4
0.008–0.4
charides (e.g., curdlan) and macromol[58,81,82,98,99,115,225]
32–64
8–64
0.2–51
ecules (e.g., chitosan, albumin and gela- Fluconazole
[57,58,82,137,222]
8–32
0.125–4
0.016–0.256
tin) has been very well described in the Itraconazole
literature [167–169] .
[57,115,222,225,227]
Voriconazole
0.5–12
0.12–0.5
0.008–0.25†
Nanoparticulate technologies in general
[57,225,227]
Caspofungin
16–128†
0.12–1.0†
0.06–8†
offer interesting benefits such as solubiliza†
†
†
[225,227]
>256
0.004–0.03 0.002–4
tion of hydrophobic drugs, bioavailability Micafungin
It
is
important
to
note
that
the
results
of
in
vitro
antifungal
susceptibility
tests
may
not
necessarily
predict
improvement, modification of pharmacoclinical outcome in keratitis. Host factors, stage of infection, patient compliance to the therapeutic regime
kinetic parameters, and protection of drug and drug levels are all important factors that may influence the clinical response.
molecules from physical, chemical and/or †Fungi used were not isolated from cases of keratitis.
374
Expert Rev. Ophthalmol. 5(3), (2010)
Current efforts & the potential of nanomedicine in treating fungal keratitis
Review
Table 3. Advantages and disadvantages of advanced novel delivery systems and incorporated
antifungal drugs.
Disadvantages
Incorporated
antifungal agents
Polymeric
nanoparticles
May be biocompatible and biodegradable
Able to entrap both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs
Controlled release
Protect drug from metabolic degradation
Prolonged residence time – bioadhesive properties
Burst effect
Limited drug loading
May cause vitreous
clouding
High cost
Amphotericin B
Voriconazole
Fluconazole
Itraconazole
Polymeric
microparticles
Can be prepared by spray drying – large-scale production
May be biocompatible and biodegradable
Able to entrap both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs
Controlled release
Protect drug from metabolic degradation
Prolonged residence time – bioadhesive properties
Burst effect
May cause
uncomfortable
sensation if ≥10 μm
Fluconazole
Liposomes
Biocompatible and biodegradable
Able to entrap both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs
Controlled release
Protect drug from metabolic degradation
Prolonged residence time – precorneal and in vitreous
Poor stability
Difficult to prepare
and sterilize
High cost
Amphotericin B
Fluconazole
[194–196]
[191–193]
SLNs
Easy preparation – large-scale production
Easy sterilization
Improved ocular bioavailability
Prolonged precorneal residence time
Controlled release
Limited drug loading
Clotrimazole
Ketoconazole
Itraconazole
Miconazole
Econazole
[209–211]
[212]
[214]
[215]
[216]
NLCs
Easy preparation – large-scale production
Easy sterilization
Drug loading of lipophilic and possibly hydrophilic drugs
Improved ocular bioavailability
Prolonged precorneal residence time
Controlled release
Hydrophilic drugs can Clotrimazole
show burst effects
Ketoconazole
[209,210]
[212]
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ho
of
Advanced novel Advantages
formulations
Ref.
[174–180]
[181]
[182]
[184]
[183]
NLC: Nanostructured lipid carrier; SLN: Solid lipid nanoparticle.
A
ut
entrapped into PLGA nanoparticles was shown to improve the
oral bioavailability and minimize the adverse effects observed
in classical systemic amphotericin B therapy [178] . Nonetheless,
nanoparticles have also been used for targeting drug delivery.
Amphotericin B-loaded PLA-b-PEG nanoparticles coated with
polysorbate 80 have been efficiently produced for brain targeting
[179] . Since these systems have been shown to efficiently cross the
blood–brain barrier, they represent a promising tool for crossing
the retinal–blood barrier and increasing intraocular bioavailability
after systemic administration. Further studies should be carried out
in this area. In addition, intraperitoneal administration of amphotericin B nanoparticles based on PLGA and dimercaptosuccinic
acid in mice showed antifungal efficacy, fewer undesirable effects
and a favorable extended dosing interval [180] .
Poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticles loaded with voriconazole were prepared by the emulsion–solvent evaporation
technique. The mean particle size was 132.8 nm when using
sodium hexametaphosphate to avoid particle agglomeration.
Both in vitro and in vivo studies in mice showed greater antifungal efficacy of drug-loaded nanoparticles by contrast with
the drug alone [181] . Nano- or microparticle production has been
described for other antifungal agents, such as fluconazole [182,183]
and itraconazole [184] .
www.expert-reviews.com
Liposomes
Liposomes are biocompatible and biodegradable phospholipid
vesicles formed by one or several lipid bilayers. In each bilayer, the
nonpolar fatty acid tails are placed in the interior whereas the polar
heads are turned outside, containing an aqueous phase both inside
and between the bilayers. Owing to their amphiphilic character,
liposomes are able to entrap both hydrophilic and hydrophobic
compounds in the aqueous compartments or within the lipid
bilayers, respectively [185,186] . Liposomes can provide controlled
release of incorporated drugs as the spherical lipid shield formed by
bilayer membranes provides a permeability barrier to drug release.
In this way, the drug is protected from degradation and clearance,
and toxicity resultant from high peak concentration is avoided.
This property can be especially useful for posterior segment applications [187] . Similarly to polymeric nano- and microparticles, liposomes can minimize some of the adverse side effects encountered
by the intraocular administration routes, increasing therapeutic
effectiveness [188–190] .
Gupta et al., studying the pharmacokinetics of plain and liposome-encapsulated fluconazole after intravitreal injection in rabbit eyes, observed a rapid vitreal clearance and a short half-life
(3.08 h) for plain fluconazole, whereas liposome-entrapped flucon
azole showed an extended half-life (23.40 h) [191] . The constant
375
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Gratieri, Gelfuso, Lopez & Souto
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of
terminal elimination of the liposome-loaded
Table 4. Aspects to be considered on choosing an ophthalmic
drug from the vitreous was seven times less
delivery system and the performance of advanced novel delivery
than the plain drug [191] . However, the
systems.
same authors later discouraged the use of
Advanced novel formulations
fluconazole as a sole therapy for endophthal- Aspects to consider
mitis. They reported inferior outcomes for
Nanoparticles Microparticles Liposomes SLNs NLCs
liposome-entrapped fluconazole in a canFacility of administration + +
++
++
++
++
didal endophthalmitis rabbit model, prob+++
++
+++
+++ +++
after
ably owing to heterogenous distribuition Sensorial feeling
administration† (blurred
throughout the vitreous cavity and initial
vision, burning sensation,
low drug concentration [192] .
lacrimation)
Liposomal formulations containing flu++
+++
++
++
conazole for ophthalmic controlled release Drug loading capacity
Possibility
of
drug
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
were also prepared using the reverse-phase
targeting
evaporation technique [193] . Soya bean
+++
++
++
++
phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol in spe- Precorneal retention time + + +
cific weight ratios were used, and selected In vitreous residence time + + +
‡
‡
+++
++
formulations tested for their in vivo ocular
Controlled drug release
+++
+++
++
++
++
antifungal effect. Conversely, the authors
++
++
of this work reported that, after in vivo Avoidance of burst effect administration in a model of Candida Avoidance of toxicity
++
++
+++
++
++
keratitis, fluconazole liposomal formula- Scaling up of production +
++
+++ +++
tions achieved complete healing in a shorter
Easy to sterilize
+++
+++
+++ +++
time than plain fluconazole solution. In
Storage
stability
+
+
+
+
+
++
addition, the frequency of instillation could
It
is
important
to
consider
the
form
in
which
formulations
are
dispensed.
The
overall
storage
stability
tends
be reduced [193] .
to be significantly higher if the formulations are dispensed in lyophilized form.
A reduction in ocular toxicity of subcon- †The scale indicates the absence of such events, + + + being indicative of the lowest probability of the
junctival injection of liposomal amphoteri- ‡formulation to cause undesirable sensorial feeling after administration.
Not reported.
cin B has also been reported. Comparisons -: Poor; +: Good; + +: Very good; + + +: Excellent; NLC: Nanostructured lipid carrier; SLN: Solid
were made with conventional amphoteri- lipid nanoparticle.
cin B deoxycholate formulation in a rabbit model. The study reported that subconjunctival injection of reported that no drug could be detected in the corneas of the
amphotericin B deoxycholate formulation or deoxycholate alone non-inflamed eyes, but in a uveitis-induced model the penetration
induced severe corneal and conjunctival edema with necrosis and into the cornea was significantly higher after systemic administrainfiltration of inflammatory cells, whereas the liposomal formu- tion of liposomes, followed by lipid complexes and conventional
lation induced only mild inflammation near the injection site. amphotericin B deoxycholate [196] .
The authors also observed satisfactory concentrations in corneal
It needs to be considered, however, that the type of vesicles
stroma after the liposomal formulation injections [194] . In fact, formed and the formulations constituents may interfere with the
a liposomal formulation named AmBisome® (Vestar, Inc., CA, final toxicity and antifungal activity of the drug. It has been
USA) containing amphotericin B is commercially available. The observed that small unilamellar vesicles [197–199] , multilamellar
formulation is supplied lyophilized as a powder and must be recon- vesicles [200–202] or large multilamellar vesicles [201] containing
stituted in water directly before use, producing liposomes with a amphotericin B perform differently [198] . Similarly, fluconazole
mean diameter of 60–70 nm [60] . Because of its hydrophobicity, showed different MIC values in different vesicle types [198,203] .
amphotericin B binds predominantly to the lipid bilayer rather Inhibition of the antifungal activity of miconazole and ketoconthan being placed in the small hydrophilic core of the liposome. azole by phospholipids has also been reported. Such an effect
The liposomal material consists of hydrogenated soy phospha- seems to be dependent on the phospholipid concentration [198] .
tidylcholine and distearoylphosphatidylglycerol. Moreover, the Moreover, sterols present in the formulation may interfere with
negative charge of the distearoylphosphatidylglycerol can inter- the fungicidal activity of liposomal amphotericin B. It has been
act with the positive amino group of the amphotericin B, form- observed that ergosterol- and cholesterol-containing liposomes
ing an ionic complex in the bilayers [60] . In addition, a broad were less effective against C. albicans compared with the sterol‑free
antifungal activity spectrum has been defined by the liposomal liposomes [204] .
formulation [195] . In a recent study, the corneal availability folSignificant progress has been made in demonstrating the advanlowing systemic administration of parenteral amphotericin B lipid tages of liposome-mediated drug delivery in ophthalmology. In
complex or liposomal amphotericin B was compared with that of some cases, liposomes have shown to improve efficacy, reduce
amphotericin B deoxycholate in a rabbit model [196] . The authors toxicity, prolong activity and provide site-specific delivery. Despite
376
Expert Rev. Ophthalmol. 5(3), (2010)
Current efforts & the potential of nanomedicine in treating fungal keratitis
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Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) are the first generation of
nanoparticles composed of lipids that are solid at room and body
temperatures, stabilized with an emulsifying layer in an aqueous
dispersion. They offer the possibility of a controlled drug delivery,
since drug mobility in a solid lipid is lower compared with an
oily phase. Other advantages of such carriers include the use of
physiological compounds in the composition, the fast and effective production process, including the possibility of large-scale
production, the avoidance of organic solvents in the production
procedures, and the possibility of producing high concentrated
lipid suspensions [205] . The main disadvantage, however, is the
low drug-loading capacity [206] , which is mainly related to the
possibility of drug expulsion during storage [207] .
Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) are another type of lipid
nanoparticle being developed to overcome some limitations of
SLNs. NLCs are prepared not only from solid lipids but from a
blend of a solid lipid with a certain amount of oil, to maintain
a melting point above 40°C. Mixing very different molecules,
such as long-chain glycerides of the solid lipid with short-chain
glycerides of the liquid lipid, creates crystals with many imperfections [208] . Apart from localizing the drug inbetween fatty acid
chains or lipid lamellae, these imperfections provide a location for
the additional loading of drug molecules. These drug molecules
can then be incorporated in the particle matrix in a molecularly
dispersed form, or be arranged in amorphous clusters. There is
also more flexibility for modulation of drug release, increasing
the drug loading and preventing its leakage.
Lipid nanoparticles (SLNs and NLCs) are interesting systems
for the ocular delivery of drugs. Similar to emulsions, they are
composed of accepted excipients, and can be produced on a large
industrial scale using an established and low-cost homogenization process. In addition, SLNs and NLCs show the advantages
of a solid matrix similar to polymeric nanoparticles, having
the ability to protect chemically labile drugs and to modulate
release (from very fast to extremely prolonged release). Surface
modifications can be used to prolong precorneal residence time.
Similarly to liposomes, several SLNs and NLCs have been successfully prepared for the incorporation of antifungal drugs but
aimed for different administration routes, such as transdermal
drug delivery.
Clotrimazole-loaded SLNs and NLCs have been prepared by
hot high-pressure homogenization with entrapment efficiency
higher than 50%. After 3 months of storage at different temperatures the mean diameters of SLNs and NLCs remained below
of
Solid lipid nanoparticles & nanostructured lipid carriers
1 μm [209] . The entrapment efficiency and the drug-release profile were dependent on the concentration and the lipid mixture
employed. NLCs showed higher entrapment efficiency owing to
their liquid parts. In agreement with these results, NLCs also
depicted a faster release rate in comparison to SLNs with the same
lipid concentration. Incorporated clotrimazole in tripalmitine-
based SLNs and NLCs stabilized with tyloxapol were also
obtained. The particles displayed a spherical shape and a narrow
size distribution with a mean diameter smaller than 200 nm [210] .
The SLN containing clotrimazole displayed a prolonged release
character [211] .
Lipid particles containing ketoconazole were also obtained
using the hot high-pressure homogenization technique, using
Compritol® (Compritol 888 ATO, Gattefossé, Weil am Rhein,
Germany) as the solid lipid and the natural antioxidant a-tocopherol as the liquid lipid compound for the preparation of NLCs.
The authors verified that the SLN matrix was not able to protect
the chemically labile ketoconazole against degradation under light
exposure. By contrast, the NLCs were able to stabilize the drug,
but the aqueous NLC dispersion showed size increase during storage. Possible solutions would be light-protected packaging for the
SLNs or NLCs physically stabilized in a gel formulation [212] .
In accordance, another study revealed that after a shelf life of
2 years, more than 95% of clotrimazole and less than 30% of
ketoconazole incorporated in SLNs and NLCs were detected in
the developed formulations. Still, these values were shown to be
higher than those obtained with reference emulsions of similar
composition and droplet sizes [213] .
Other antifungal agents that were successfully incorporated in SLNs include itraconazole [214] , miconazole [215] and
econazole [216] .
Therefore, it is expected that in the near future lipid nanoparticles will become available for the treatment of ophthalmic
fungal infections. Despite the drug-loading difficulties, several
compounds commonly used in the treatment of ocular diseases
have been incorporated into lipid nanoparticles, such as tobramycin [217] , gatifloxacin [218] , cyclosporine [219] and timolol maleate [220] . Lipid nanoparticles have shown sustained release and
enhancement of drug bioavailability in all such cases [217] .
ro
these reasons, which make liposomes a potentially useful system
for ocular delivery, until now there have been very few attempts
to apply them for the treatment of ophthalmic fungal infections.
Problems usually encountered were the short shelf life, limited
drug-loading capacity, use of aggressive conditions for preparation and sterilization issues [165] . Temperatures required for autoclaving can cause irreversible damage to vesicles while filtration
reduces the vesicle to an average of 200 nm, limiting its use to
small vesicles.
Review
www.expert-reviews.com
Expert commentary
For the treatment of ocular fungal infections, one should keep
in mind that there are no ideal antifungal agents or administration regimens. As such, the pharmacological treatment should
be chosen considering disease-specific conditions, possible side
effects, and the drug’s ability to reach the site of infection and
achieve therapeutic concentrations.
Few significant advances have been reached in treating ophthalmic fungal infections. The major problem encountered is
the poor water solubility of most of the drugs. Larger molecule sizes (>500 Da) also restrict their intrinsic permeability.
Although some formulations with enhanced drug solubility
can be easily prepared using cyclodextrins, polymers or suitable surfactants, these solutions may suffer from the drawback
of having low residence time at the ocular surface and being
377
Gratieri, Gelfuso, Lopez & Souto
Key issues
years more studies will be performed using polymeric particles
and lipid-based systems for the ocular route, resulting in more
efficient therapeutic options.
Five-year view
It is expected that in the near future more knowledge will be available on the corneal permeation profile of novel antifungal agents.
From that point it is also expected that novel nanomedicines
would be applied for the ocular delivery of antifungal agents,
leading to higher bioavailability and fewer adverse effects.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors would like to thank Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado
de São Paulo (FAPESP), Brazil, for financial support. The authors have no
other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization
or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject
matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.
of
rapidly drained. Owing to short residence time and corneal
impermeability to most compounds, the topical treatment is
often not effective.
Polymeric nano- and microparticles could therefore be a suitable alternative. Despite not yet being applied for the treatment of
fungal keratitis, promising results have been shown for other targets. It is believed that polymeric particles containing antifungal
agents could be used to increase drug availability, reduce toxicity
and prolong interval of administration. Similarly, liposomes and
SLNs offer sustained drug delivery with low toxicity. However,
the former represents a challenge when considering large-scale
production, whereas the latter has a lower drug-loading capacity. NLCs have emerged as a novel delivery system that could
incorporate the advantages of those lipid-based delivery systems
and overcome their limitations. In the last few years, NLC formulations have been successfully prepared for the incorporation
of antifungal drugs but have not yet been fully employed in the
treatment of ocular diseases. It is expected that in the next few
ro
Review
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• Fungal keratitis occurs throughout the world, but the overall incidence tends to be higher in tropical and subtropical regions.
The most frequent fungi causing keratitis worldwide are Fusarium (incidence 20–83.6%), Aspergillus (incidence 16.5–75%) and
Candida (incidence 1–63%).
• Fungal keratitis risk factors include trauma, contact lens wear, prolonged use of topical corticosteroids, immunosuppressive diseases,
previous eye surgery and chronic eye surface diseases.
• The pharmacological approach of management of fungal keratitis involves the administration of antifungal agents. However, owing to
the physiologic constraints of the eye, only a few drugs present adequate bioavailability.
• Classical antifungal drugs act mainly in the fungal cell membrane. The two most commonly used classes are the polyenes and the
azoles. The first includes nathamycin and amphotericin B, while the second includes miconazole, ketoconazole, fluconazole
and itraconazole.
• Novel drugs have been developed with the aim of solving classical antifungal therapy problems. The novel azole voriconazole is more
potent but leads to some adverse effects. The new class echinocandins possesses a broad spectrum but the compounds belonging to
this class will probably have low corneal penetration owing to their high molecular weights.
• Nanoparticulated systems containing antifungal drugs could be used to prolong drug delivery and reduce toxicity.
• Liposomes containing antifungal drugs may be useful for intraocular administration. They can minimize some of the adverse side effects
encountered by these administration routes and prolong drug residence time, increasing therapeutic effectiveness when no other
options are available.
• Antifungal agents have successfully been incorporated into solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers, but have not yet
been fully employed in the treatment of ocular diseases.
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