Alginate-Amphothericin B Nanocomplexes Covered By Nanocrystals From Bacterial Cellulose: Physico-Chemical Characterization And In Vitro Toxicity

Amphotericin B (AmB) is a drug with anti-leishmanial and anti-fungal ability, but it has low water solubility and permeability, limiting its therapeutic use. Therefore, the incorporation of AmB into nanostructured systems could be profit. Nanostructured systems without surfactants have pharmacotechnical advantages such as amplify the water solubility and decrease the toxicity. For this reason, the present study aimed to produce a nanocomplex of alginate (Alg) with AmB covered by NCC in order to decrease the toxicity of AmB. This straightforward process allowed to obtain water soluble particles Furthermore, the ionic adsorption of the NCC into the Alg-AmB nanocomplex surface was confirmed by an increase in the particle size and a small surface charge decrease. The amorphous inclusion of AmB complex into the polysaccharide chain network in both formulations. AmB in the nanocomplexes was in supper-aggregated form and showed good biocompatibility, being significantly less cytotoxic in vitro against kidney cells and significantly less hemolytic compared to the free-drug. The results indicated the Alg-AmB nanocomplex can be considered a non-toxic alternative to improve the AmB therapeutic effect. Furthermore, NCC coating of the nanocomplexes brought additional protection to the system without compromised the advantages attributed to the developed formulation.