Fluoxetine Delivery for Wound Treatment Through an Integrated Bioelectronic Device – Pharmacokinetic Parameters and Safety Profile in Swine
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Wound infections are a significant medical challenge, often leading to chronicity or systemic infection. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have emerged as potential non-antibiotic candidates with demonstrated ability to limit growth and biofilm formation in Gramnegative bacteria, in addition to their pro-healing activity. Here, we compared direct delivery of the SSRI fluoxetine by topical bolus dosing to delivery from an iontophoresis bandage device with an actuator for temporally controlled drug delivery, in a porcine excisional wound model.
Device delivery of fluoxetine resulted in a maximum concentration of 12.25 ng fluoxetine per mg tissue, compared to 2.926 ng/mg following bolus dosing, and tissue fluoxetine levels were higher after application using the device than after bolus dosing across the range of doses tested (p=0.0041). The half-life of fluoxetine in the wound tissue was 0.988 ± 0.256 days.
Fluoxetine was not detected in the pig plasma, and plasma serotonin levels were not affected by the topical application. Fluoxetine delivery using the device, but not bolus delivery, produced tissue concentrations above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for some clinically important species of bacteria.
The experimental device can effectively deliver topical fluoxetine to the wound, producing higher tissue concentrations of fluoxetine at lower cumulative doses compared to bolus dosing, and with minimal risk of off-target effects. The device may simplify wound treatment by reducing the burden for daily drug application, possibly increasing adherence to a prescribed treatment regimen.
Translational Impact Statement
We developed a bioelectronic wound management device to deliver fluoxetine, a repurposed SSRI drug, to wounds. Fluoxetine has potential applications in normal wound healing and as an adjunctive therapy for infected wounds. Device delivery of fluoxetine was compared to conventional bolus dosing in a pig excisional wounding model. Some pharmacokinetic parameters and the safety profile of topical fluoxetine wound therapy were established.
