Rose bengal –encapsulated chitosan nanoparticles for the photodynamic treatment of Trichophyton species

Encapsulated rose bengal nanoparticles in combination with photodynamic therapy are highly effective for eradicating clinically relevantTrichophyton spores that cause onychomycosis. AbstractRose bengal (RB) solutions coupled with a green laser have proven to be efficient in clearing resilient nail infections caused byTrichophyton rubrum in a human pilot study and in extensive in vitro experiments. Nonetheless, the RB solution can become diluted or dispersed over the tissue and prevented from penetrating the nail plate to reach the subungual area where fungal infection proliferates. Nanoparticles carrying RB can mitigate the problem of dilution and are reported to effectively penetrate through the nail. For this reason, we have synthesized RB-encapsulated chitosan nanoparticles with a peak distribution size of ~200  nm and high reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. The RB-encapsulated chitosan nanoparticles aPDT were shown to kill more than 99% ofT.  rubrum,T.  mentagrophytes, andT.  interdigitale spores, which are the common clinically relevant pathogens in onychomycosis. These nanoparticles are not cytotoxic against human fibroblasts, which promotes their safe application in clinical translation.

Source: Photochemistry and Photobiology - July 21, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Alina Bekmukhametova, Anu Antony, Catriona Halliday, Sharon Chen, Chun ‐Hoong Ho, Mir Muhammad Nasir Uddin, Leonardo Longo, Christian Pedrinazzi, Laurel George, Richard Wuhrer, Simon Myers, Damia Mawad, Jessica Houang, Antonio Lauto Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research