Amphotericin B cochleates: a vehicle for oral delivery.

Cochleates are a novel lipid-based delivery vehicle consisting of crystalline phospholipid-cation structures that form spiral lipid sheets. They represent a new technology platform for oral delivery of clinically important drugs that possess poor oral bioavailability. Orally administered cochleates containing amphotericin B (CAMB) showed broad-spectrum activity in murine infection models of candidiasis, aspergillosis and cryptococcosis. Initial biodistribution studies of CAMB administered orally in mice demonstrated that cochleates delivered significant levels of AMB to target organs. The lipid particulate nature of cochleates also imparted reduced toxicity that mimics other lipid-amphotericin B complexes. Cochleates are a promising new vehicle for oral delivery of amphotericin B at therapeutic levels.