A novel method of drug delivery developed may prove beneficial for patients suffering from asthma, cystic fibrosis, or chronic lung disease, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), cancer, or those using corticosteroid drugs for a long time. Nanoparticles have been found promising for controlled and effective release of drugs.
The use of polymeric nanoparticles is a promising method of drug delivery. The azole drugs currently in use attack the fungal membrane and inactivate it. However, resistance to existing antifungal drugs is a concern and hence better methods of drug delivery need to be adopted so that the drugs can be effective in treating infections.
A team of scientists from Agharkar Research Institute, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), has used chitin synthesis fungicide produced by the bacterium Streptomyces spp. to develop nikkomycin polymeric nanoparticles. Chitin is the main component of fungal cell wall which is not found in human body.
The nanoparticle-containing drug has been found to inhibit the growth of Aspergillus spp. and is also effective against fungal infection called aspergillosis caused by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus fumigatus fungi. The developed nanoformulation was found to be free from cytotoxic and hemolytic effects. The ARI team is hopeful about the application of this method in the development of inhalation nanoformulations against pulmonary aspergillosis.
The research, led by scientist Dr. Vandana Ghormade and PhD student Kamal Mayattu, was published in the journal Zeitschrift für Naturforschung C. The team hopes to further expand the scope of such antifungal nanoformulations in the future and explore the possibility of public-private partnerships for commercialization.