A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad has developed a new drug delivery system to treat fungal infections. This method, which is based on essential oils, can also reduce the risk of inducing drug resistance in the fungus and it can also counter those fungi that have developed resistance to conventional antifungal drugs.
The research was led by Dr. Mudrika Khandelwal, Associate Professor, Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering, IIT Hyderabad, and supported with funds by the Science and Engineering Research Board, Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Grants from the American multinational conglomerate AT&T.
Highlighting the need for developing non-resistance inducing treatment option for fungal diseases, Dr Khandelwal said, "given the prevalence of fungal infections such as vaginal infections, diaper rash, athlete's foot, and nail fungus, caused by the Candida family of fungi, drug resistance can become life-threatening."
"Herbal essential oils and their ingredients are a promising class of effective antimicrobials. Thymol found in oregano oils, carvacrol found in thyme and eugenol found in clove oil, have excellent antimicrobial action against all types of Candida fungi. The problem with essential oils and their components is that they are sensitive to temperature, light, and pH, and decompose easily," she added.
A way to overcome this problem is to design a suitable carrier system that can protect the oils and release them in a controlled manner so that the antifungal action can be fully harnessed. The research team chose polylactic acid microcapsules to encapsulate the essential oil ingredients. Polylactic acid polymers are biocompatible and biodegradable and are already widely used in the medical field. The researchers found that using the microcapsules alone as the carrier could cause uncontrolled, burst release of the ingredients.
To delay the release of the active principles, the researchers designed another level of protectionin which polylactic acid microcapsules were further incorporated into a secondary barrier made of nanofibrous bacterial cellulose. The researchers also enhanced the anti-fungal activity of their formulation by using synergistic mixtures of thymol, carvacrol, and eugenol.
Speaking about vaginal candidiasis, a vaginal yeast infection, she said, "currently we are developing antifungal panty liners for mitigating vaginal candidiasis. The developed formulation can also be used as a transdermal patch /mucoadhesive patch to treat skin and mucocutaneous infections without inducing resistance in the fungal species."
The research paper was published in Materialia. The paper has been co-authored by Dr Khandelwal's PhD student Shivakalyani Adepu.
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