Targeting mononuclear phagocytes for eradicating intracellular parasites

Mononuclear phagocytes such as monocytes, tissue-specific macrophages and dendritic cells are primary actors in both innate and adaptive immunity, as well as tissue homoeostasis. They have key roles in a range of physiological and pathological processes, so any strategy targeting these cells will have wide-ranging impact. These phagocytes can be parasitized by intracellular bacteria, turning them from housekeepers to hiding places and favouring chronic and/or disseminated infection. One of the most infamous is the bacteria that cause tuberculosis, which is the most pandemic and one of the deadliest disease with one third of the world’s population infected, and 1.8 million deaths worldwide in 2015. Here we demonstrate the effective targeting and intracellular delivery of antibiotics to both circulating monocytes and resident macrophages, using pH sensitive nanoscopic polymersomes made of poly(2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl phosphorylcholine)-co-poly(2-(di-isopropylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PMPC-PDPA). Polymersome selectivity to mononuclear phagocytes is demonstrated and ascribed to the polymerised phosphorylcholine motifs affinity toward scavenger receptors. Finally, we demonstrate the successful exploitation of this targeting for the effective eradication of intracellular bacteria that cause tuberculosis Mycobacterium tuberculosis as well as other intracellular parasites including the Mycobacterium bovis, Mycobacterium marinum and the most common bacteria associated with antibiotic resistance, the Staphylococcus aureus.