Abstract: Tuberculosis (TB) is a public health problem on a global scale with a high morbidity and mortality, even with effective pharmacological treatment. In 2023, approximately 10.6 million individuals with pneumonia received a TB diagnosis, resulting in around 1.3 million deaths that same year. The report also said that the Multidrug-Resistant TB (MDR-TB) cases have increased by 4% as compared to the previous year. The limitations of conventional treatment include the following: poor bioavailability, prolonged treatment duration, multidrug resistance, and poor adherence. Drug delivery systems based on nanotechnology offer successful strategies to tackle these issues. Recent advances in nanoparticle-mediated liposomes, dendrimers, polymeric micelles, hydrogels, and solid lipid nanoparticles have enhanced the targeting ability of An-titubercular Drugs (ATDs). With the aid of these nanocarriers, drug solubility improved, and drug release was controlled. Therapeutic drug levels were achieved at the infection site. Similarly, systemic toxicity was decreased. Recent advances include inhalable formulations, oral nanoencapsulation for CNS-TB, and combinations of phototherapy and immunotherapy. Special focus is placed on the translational aspects of nanocarrier development to evaluate their toxicity, scalability, and other properties. A nanotechnology drug delivery system can be an efficient tuberculosis therapy. A recent review indicates they can overcome pharmacokinetic barriers while enhancing patient outcomes. These nanosystems should be translated into preclinical and clinical applications for drug-sensitive and drug-resistant TB by further interdisciplinary efforts.
Varadarajan et al. (Thu,) studied this question.