ABSTRACTClinical trials have demonstrated the benefits of ibuprofen therapy in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, an effect that is currently attributed to ibuprofen's anti-inflammatory properties. Yet, a few previous reports demonstrated an antimicrobial activity of ibuprofen as well, although none investigated its direct effects on the pathogens found in the CF lung, which is the focus of this work. Determination of ibuprofen'sin vitroantimicrobial activity againstPseudomonas aeruginosaandBurkholderiaspecies strains through measurements of the endpoint number of CFU and growth kinetics showed that ibuprofen reduced the growth rate and bacterial burden of the tested strains in a dose-dependent fashion. In anin vitroPseudomonasbiofilm model, a reduction in the rate of biomass accumulation over 8 h of growth with ibuprofen treatment was observed. Next, an acutePseudomonaspneumonia model was used to test this antimicrobial activity after the oral delivery of ibuprofen. Following intranasal inoculation, ibuprofen-treated mice exhibited lower CFU counts and improved survival compared with the control animals. Preliminary biodistribution studies performed after the delivery of ibuprofen to mice by aerosol demonstrated a rapid accumulation of ibuprofen in serum and minimum retention in lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Therefore, ibuprofen-encapsulated polymeric nanoparticles (Ibu-NPs) were formulated to improve the pharmacokinetic profile. Ibu-NPs formulated for aerosol delivery inhibited the growth ofP. aeruginosa in vitroand may provide a convenient dosing method. These results provide an additional explanation for the previously observed therapeutic effects of ibuprofen in CF patients and further strengthen the argument for its use by these patients.
An overview on Pharmacokinetics of Polymeric Nanoparticles Intended for Oral Delivery