Targeting and synergistic action of an antifungal peptide in an antibiotic drug-delivery system

Publication date: Available online 18 April 2017
Source:Journal of Controlled Release
Author(s): Seong-Cheol Park, Young-Min Kim, Jong-Kook Lee, Nam-Hong Kim, Eun-Ji Kim, Hun Heo, Min-Young Lee, Jung Ro Lee, Mi-Kyeong Jang
Amphotericin B (AmB) has been widely used against fungal infections throughout almost the entire body, including the skin, nails, oral cavity, respiratory tract, and urinary tract. However, the development of AmB-loaded nanoparticles demands a novel technique that reduces its toxicity and other associated problems. Here, we developed a pH-responsive and redox-sensitive polymer-based AmB-delivery carrier system. In particular, this system was functionalized by conjugation with the antifungal peptide histatin 5, which acts both as a targeting ligand and a synergistic antifungal molecule against Candida albicans, a major systemic fungal pathogen of humans. Our results in vitro and in vivo suggest that this drug-delivery system may serve as a novel tool to facilitate the use of antimicrobial peptides as targeting ligands to pathogenic microbes, which would open new avenues of investigation in the field of drug delivery.

Graphical abstract

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