Can pharmacotechnical strategies be useful to optimize the anti-echinococcal efficacy of albendazole?

ELISSONDO, MARÍA CELINA

Lima

Congreso; 28th World Congress of Echinococcosis; 2019

Asociación Internacional de Hidatidología

In the last 30 years, an increase in the use of anthelmintic drugs for the medical treatment of human cystic echinococcosis was observed. Moreover, chemotherapy strategies can be added as an additional control measure in animals (intermediate hosts). Albendazole has limited efficacy due to its poor and erratic bioavailability, attributed to its low dissolution rate. On the other hand, the poor water solubility of albendazole offers only few formulation possibilities, limiting the administration routes. Modern pharmaceutical technology may help to greatly improve albendazole systemic exposure improving its efficacy against the parasite.In this presentation, some of the new technologies applied to the experimental treatment of echinococcosis will be discussed. During the last 20 years, the Parasitic Zoonoses Research Group (Faculty of Natural and Exact Sciences, Mar del Plata National University, CONICET) has been working in the experimental chemotherapy of cystic echinococcosis. Since 2011, in a joint effort with the Laboratory of Pharmacotechnics (Faculty of Chemistry, National University of Cordoba, CONICET), different albendazole drug delivery systems are being studied with the aim to improve the treatment against the murine model of echinococcosis. After evaluating the clinical and chemoprophylactic efficacy of two solid dispersions, nanocrystals and lipid nanoparticles, promising results have been obtained.