Formulation, In Vitro Characterization and Antibacterial Activity of Chitosan-Decorated Cream Containing Bacitracin for Topical Delivery

Abstract

(1) Background: Bacitracin is a broad spectrum antibiotic that is used against various microorganisms. Chitosan is a natural polymer that has been widely investigated as an antimicrobial agent for preventing and treating infections owing to its intrinsic antimicrobial properties, as well as its ability to effectively deliver extrinsic antimicrobial compounds to infected areas. Topical drug delivery offers important benefits for improving the therapeutic effect and reducing systemic side effects of administered compounds/drugs. The topical use of chitosan-decorated bacitracin-loaded cream improves the permeation of the drug across the skin and enhances the drug bioavailability by prolonging the residence time of the drug when applied topically, as well as producing synergistic effects and reducing the side effects of the drug. Topical chitosan-decorated cream can be a promising approach to administer the drug more efficiently and enhance the efficacy of treatment in wound healing and antibacterial activity. (2) Methods: This study was conducted to prepare, assess and investigate the synergistic antibacterial activity of a chitosan-coated bacitracin cream. The results were compared to the antibacterial activity of simple bacitracin-loaded cream. The prepared cream was evaluated for various in vitro characteristics such as rheology, pH, viscosity, drug content and antibacterial activity studies. (3) Result: The formulations were found to be stable regarding color, liquefaction and phase separation at all accelerated conditions. It was observed that with time, substantial variations in the pH of the preparations were found. The introduction of chitosan results in controlled release of the drug from the formulations. The antibacterial activity of the formulated creams was assessed with the disc diffusion method against Staphylococcus aureus(ATCC),Escherichiacoli (STCC),Pseudomonas aeruginosa(ATCC) and Bacillus cereus(ATCC). The strains, E. coli, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa and B. cereus were susceptible to 50 µg chitosan-decorated bacitracin cream, showing inhibition zones of 10 ± 0.6, 34 ± 1.5, 31 ± 0.76 and 21 ± 2.02 mm, respectively. The zones of inhibition for simple bacitracin-loaded cream were significantly smaller than chitosan-decorated cream, at 2 ± 0.2, 28 ± 0.92, 15 ± 0.5 and 11 ± 1.25 mm (ANOVA; p < 0.05), respectively. (4) Conclusion: It was observed that the zones of inhibition of simple bacitracin-loaded cream were significantly smaller than those of chitosan-decorated bacitracin-loaded cream. Chitosan synergistically improves the antimicrobial activity of bacitracin. Hence, the developed formulation was effective and should be considered as a suitable candidate for topical management of skin infections and wound healing.

Bacitracin enhances ceftriaxone susceptibility of the high-level ceftriaxone-resistant gonococcal FC428 clone

“…Furthermore, synergistic activity was particularly evident for FC428-associated strains in spot assays. While bacitracin is generally considered a narrow-spectrum antimicrobial that is mostly limited to Gram-positive bacteria ( 49 – 51 ), some activity against N. gonorrhoeae has previously been demonstrated ( 42 , 43 ), including a recent investigation that reported a MIC of 4 mg/L against the gonococcal reference strain WHO Y ( 43 ). Our study assessed bacitracin susceptibility for 449 recent clinical gonococcal isolates and revealed that all isolates displayed MICs within the 2–32 mg/L range.…”

A Comparison between the Molecularly Imprinted and Non-Molecularly Imprinted Cyclodextrin-Based Nanosponges for the Transdermal Delivery of Melatonin

“…A total of 0.10 g of MIP-NSs cream was uniformly dispersed in 25 mL of deionized water and kept for 2 h at room temperature. The pH of dispersions was measured at 25 °C [ 72 ].…”

Emulgels: Promising Carrier Systems for Food Ingredients and Drugs

“…Viscosity is an important physical property for topical drug delivery systems, which usually indicates the consistency of any semisolid formulations. Gelling agents extremely affect the spreadability and viscosity of the formulation, and consequently impact the drug release from the formulation [ 49 , 63 ]. Daood et al have proven that the viscosity of the emulgels increases as the concentration of gelling agents increases.…”