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Antifungal Nanotherapy: A Novel Approach to Combat Superficial Fungal Infections

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Nanotechnology in Skin, Soft Tissue, and Bone Infections

Abstract

Superficial fungal infections (SFIs) affect up to 25% of population all over the world. Although dermatophytosis is the main SFIs with worldwide distribution, tinea versicolor caused by Malassezia species and Candida -related infections are also common. SFIs have diverse etiologic agents, which differ in pathogenesis and geographic distribution with increasing rate of resistant species to current antifungal therapy. Nowadays, the conventional antifungal therapy of SFIs using current antifungals of azoles, allylamines, and griseofulvin have some drawbacks like liver toxicity, skin problem, severe headaches and sometimes recurrences and drug–drug interactions especially in patients who are under drug treatment for other diseases. The problem is more complicated in immunocompromised patients who undergone systemic immunosuppressive therapies. On the other hand, low penetration of antifungal drugs in hard tissues of nail in onychomycoses caused by the dermatophytes and Candida species in local therapies and drug resistance in emerging causative species are considered as other important limitations of current antifungal therapy against SFIs. Novel formulations of antifungals or new devices that increase the chance of the delivery of the drug into the site of the infection seem necessary in order to enhance the drug efficiency. Recently, nanotechnology has contributed into this area and proposes great opportunities for more effective treatments of SFIs. In this chapter, we highlight current status of antifungal nanotherapy using advanced nanoformulations to combat SFIs and discuss in details their application in future medicine.

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Abbreviations

CLSI:

Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute

CLSM:

Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy

FBS:

Fetal Bovine Serum

IC80:

80% Inhibitory Concentration

MGYP:

Malt extract, Glucose, Yeast extract and Peptone

NPs:

Nanoparticles

PAN:

Polyacrylonitrile

PCL:

Polycaprolactone

PEG:

Poly Ethylene Glycol

PEO:

Poly(Ethylene Oxide)

PG:

Propylene Glycol

ROS:

Reactive Oxygen Species

SEM:

Scanning Electron Microscope

XRD:

X-ray diffraction

YPD:

Yeast extract/Peptone/Dextrose

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mycology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran

    Farnoush Asghari-Paskiabi, Zahra Jahanshiri & Mehdi Razzaghi-Abyaneh

  2. Department of Mycology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

    Masoomeh Shams-Ghahfarokhi

Authors
  1. Farnoush Asghari-Paskiabi
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  2. Zahra Jahanshiri
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  3. Masoomeh Shams-Ghahfarokhi
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  4. Mehdi Razzaghi-Abyaneh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mehdi Razzaghi-Abyaneh .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biotechnology, Nanobiotechnology Laboratory, Amravati, Maharashtra, India

    Mahendra Rai

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Asghari-Paskiabi, F., Jahanshiri, Z., Shams-Ghahfarokhi, M., Razzaghi-Abyaneh, M. (2020). Antifungal Nanotherapy: A Novel Approach to Combat Superficial Fungal Infections. In: Rai, M. (eds) Nanotechnology in Skin, Soft Tissue, and Bone Infections. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35147-2_5

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