ABSTRACT
Sepsis is a dysregulated immune response to infection and potentially leads to life-threatening organ dysfunction, which is often seen in serious Covid-19 patients. Disulfiram (DSF), an old drug that has been used to treat alcohol addiction for decades, has recently been identified as a potent inhibitor of the gasdermin D (GSDMD)-induced pore formation that causes pyroptosis and inflammatory cytokine release. Therefore, DSF represents a promising therapeutic for the treatment of inflammatory disorders. Lactoferrin (LF) is a multifunctional glycoprotein with potent antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities that acts by neutralizing circulating endotoxins and activating cellular responses. In addition, LF has been well exploited as a drug nanocarrier and targeting ligands. In this study, we developed a DSF-LF nanoparticulate system (DSF-LF NP) for combining the immunosuppressive activities of both DSF and LF. DSF-LF NPs could effectively block pyroptosis and inflammatory cytokine release from macrophages. Treatment with DSF-LF NPs showed remarkable therapeutic effects on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced sepsis. In addition, this therapeutic strategy was also applied to treat ulcerative colitis (UC), and substantial treatment efficacy was achieved in a murine colitis model. The underlying mode of action of these DSF-LF-NPs may contribute to efficiently suppressing macrophage-mediated inflammatory responses and ameliorating the complications caused by sepsis and UC. As macrophage pyroptosis plays a pivotal role in inflammation, this safe and effective biomimetic nanomedicine may offer a versatile therapeutic strategy for treating various inflammatory diseases by repurposing DSF.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 Drug Treatment , COVID-19 , Colitis, Ulcerative , Disulfiram/pharmacokinetics , Lactoferrin , Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome , Acetaldehyde Dehydrogenase Inhibitors/pharmacology , Animals , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology , Biomimetic Materials/pharmacology , COVID-19/immunology , Colitis, Ulcerative/drug therapy , Colitis, Ulcerative/immunology , Disease Models, Animal , Disulfiram/pharmacology , Drug Carriers/pharmacology , Humans , Immunosuppressive Agents/pharmacology , Lactoferrin/metabolism , Lactoferrin/pharmacology , Lipopolysaccharides/immunology , Macrophages/drug effects , Macrophages/immunology , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Nanoparticles/therapeutic use , Pyroptosis/drug effects , SARS-CoV-2 , Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome/drug therapy , Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome/immunology , Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome/metabolism , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
AIM: In view of the increase in the use of ethanol-containing hand sanitizers throughout the world due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, we wished to review the possible risks to patients treated with disulfiram, following a case report in which an apparent DER (disulfiram-ethanol reaction) was attributed to the cutaneous absorption of alcohol from hand sanitizers as well as by inhalation of vapour. METHOD: Simple experiments to assess the levels of absorption by each route separately. RESULTS: Our results strongly suggest that while amounts of alcohol sufficient to cause a DER may be inhaled when hand sanitizers are used in confined spaces, absorption can be avoided by dispersal of the fumes, and absorption from the skin alone does not occur in pharmacologically significant quantities. CONCLUSION: Warnings about absorption of alcohol through the skin from hand sanitizers and products such as perfumes, deodorants and after-shave (whose use is often warned against when disulfiram is prescribed) should be modified accordingly.