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The antimicrobial activity of liposomal lauric acids against Propionibacterium acnes.
Biomaterials. 2009 Oct; 30(30):6035-40
Amanda Nelson, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, MD, USA. F1000 Dermatology
05 Oct 2009 | New Finding
This study represents a promising first step towards an alternative treatment for acne vulgaris. It shows that encapsulating lauric acid (LA) within liposomes may offer an alternative delivery mechanism.
In this study, increasing concentrations of LA were encapsulated within liposomes. These LA-containing liposomes were then incubated with Propionibacterium acnes for 5 hours under anaerobic conditions and assessed for their ability to kill P. acnes. Liposomes containing 102microg/ml effectively killed P. acnes in vitro. Additional experiments suggested that these liposomes directly fused with the P. acnes membrane, thus releasing their contents into the bacterium. At a minimum, future studies will need to address the following: (1) the diameter of the liposomes used in this study was approximately 120nm, which is close to the maximum diameter for skin penetration. In vivo penetration studies are needed; (2) formulation studies need to establish methods to ensure that the LA concentrations within the liposomes remain constant and stable.
Competing interests: No potential interests relevant to this article were reported.
Nelson A: "This study represents a promising first step towards an alternative treatment for acne vulgaris. It..." Evaluation of: [Yang D et al. The antimicrobial activity of liposomal lauric acids against Propionibacterium acnes. Biomaterials. 2009 Oct; 30(30):6035-40; doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2009.07.033]. Faculty of 1000, 05 Oct 2009. F1000.com/1164990#eval625861
Short form
Nelson A: 2009. F1000.com/1164990#eval625861
Faculty of 1000 evaluations, dissents and comments for [Yang D et al. The antimicrobial activity of liposomal lauric acids against Propionibacterium acnes. Biomaterials. 2009 Oct; 30(30):6035-40; doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2009.07.033]. Faculty of 1000, 05 Oct 2009. F1000.com/1164990
Short form
Faculty of 1000: 2009. F1000.com/1164990
This study evaluated the antimicrobial activity of lauric acid (LA) and its liposomal derivatives against Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), the bacterium that promotes inflammatory acne. First, the antimicrobial study of three free fatty acids (lauric acid, palmitic acid and oleic acid) demonstrated that LA gives the strongest bactericidal activity against P. acnes. However, a setback of using LA as a potential treatment for inflammatory acne is its poor water solubility. Then the LA was incorporated into a liposome formulation to aid its delivery to P. acnes. It was demonstrated that the antimicrobial activity of LA was not only well maintained in its liposomal derivatives but also enhanced at low LA concentration. In addition, the antimicrobial activity of LA-loaded liposomes (LipoLA) mainly depended on the LA loading concentration per single liposomes. Further study found that the LipoLA could fuse with the membranes of P. acnes and release the carried LA directly into the bacterial membranes, thereby killing the bacteria effectively. Since LA is a natural compound that is the main acid in coconut oil and also resides in human breast milk and liposomes have been successfully and widely applied as a drug delivery vehicle in the clinic, the LipoLA developed in this work holds great potential of becoming an innate, safe and effective therapeutic medication for acne vulgaris and other P. acnes associated diseases.
DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2009.07.033
PMID: 19665786
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