Abstract
The ineffectiveness of azole drugs in treating Vulvovaginal Candidiasis (VVC) and Recurrent Vulvovaginal Candidiasis (RVVC) due to antifungal resistance of non-albicans Candida has led to the investigation of inorganic nanoparticles with biological activity. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are important in nanomedicine and have been used in various products and technologies. This study aimed to develop a vaginal cream and assess its in vitro antimicrobial activity against Candida parapsilosis strains, specifically focusing on the synergy between AgNPs and miconazole. AgNPs were synthesized using glucose as a reducing agent and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as a stabilizer in varying amounts (0.50, 0.25, and 0.10 g). The AgNPs were characterized using UV–Visible (UV–Vis) and Fourier-Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopies, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDX). Fifty strains of Candida parapsilosis were used to evaluate the synergistic activity. AgNPs synthesized with 0.5 g SDS had an average size of 77.58 nm and a zeta potential of −49.2 mV, while AgNPs with 0.25 g showed 91.22 nm and −47.2 mV, respectively. AgNPs stabilized with 0.1 g of SDS were not effective. When combined with miconazole, AgNPs exhibited significant antifungal activity, resulting in an average increase of 80% in inhibition zones. The cream developed in this study, containing half the miconazole concentration of commercially available medication, demonstrated larger inhibition zones compared to the commercial samples.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank Central Analítica-UFC/CT-INFRA/MCTI-SISNANO/Pró-Equipamentos for providing the SEM experiments and X-ray Diffraction Laboratory (LRX-UFC). This work was partially supported by NanoSaude: E-26/010.000981/2019, UEZO: E-26/010.002362/2019; Temáticos: E-26/211.269/2021, Infraestrutura and Pesquisa na UEZO, UERJ: E-26//211.207/2021, Bolsa de Pós-Doutorado Senior (PDS): E-26/202.320/2021 and CNPq (Bolsa de Produtividade 1C: 308452/2022-4 and 1B: 301069/2018-2). This work was also supported by CAPES (Finance Code 001-PROEX 23038.000509/2020-82) and Funcap (PNE-0112-00048.01.00/16).
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Maciel, A.A.M., Cunha, F.A., Freire, T.M. et al. Development and evaluation of an anti-candida cream based on silver nanoparticles. 3 Biotech 13, 352 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-023-03776-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-023-03776-9