Nanoscale Kolliphor® HS 15 micelles to minimize rifampicin self-aggregation in aqueous media

Abstract

Tuberculosis is a highly-deadly disease that affects both children and adults. Rifampicin, one of the “first-line” anti tuberculosis drugs, self-aggregates in aqueous solutions where the critical aggregation concentration demonstrated a temperature-dependent behavior. Interestingly, drug self-aggregation could negatively affect the development of liquid aqueous rifampicin pediatric tuberculosis formulations. Therefore, our nanotechnological strategy to minimize this effect was the rifampicin encapsulation within polymeric micelles, employing the commercially available Kolliphor® HS 15, as the micelle-former biomaterial. The results show that Kolliphor® HS 15 is able to prevent rifampicin aqueous self-aggregation and precipitation, when used at certain concentrations. In this context, our work opens the possibility of developing aqueous liquid rifampicin dosage forms for pediatric patients to improve tuberculosis treatment.