Enhancement of Antifungal Activity of Juglone (5-Hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone) Using a Poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) Nanoparticle System

Abstract

This study aimed to synthesize and characterize juglone-entrapped poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles and compare the antifungal properties of free juglone with its PLGA nanoparticle formulation for the first time. The juglone-loaded nanoparticles prepared using the oil-in-water (o/w) single-emulsion solvent evaporation method were characterized by the reaction yield (RY), encapsulation efficiency (EE), polydispersity index (PDI), particle size, zeta potential (ZP), FT-IR, and in vitro release properties and evaluated for their morphological features using SEM. The nanoparticle formulation had size, RY, ZP, EE, and PDI values of 212 nm, 66.91 ± 2.4%, -16.3 ± 0.7 mV, 70.66 ± 3.1%, and 0.083 ± 0.024, respectively. In vitro release showed a triphasic pattern with initial burst followed by sustained release and dormant phase over the study period, releasing about 72.8% in total after 42 days. The antifungal studies against Aspergillus flavus, Candida albicans, and Fusarium spp. using agar dilution and top agar dilution methods indicated that the juglone-encapsulated nanoparticle was more effective than free juglone. This study showed that the top agar method, which was applied for the first time on antifungal activity, is more suitable for the nanoparticular system based on sustained release. Therefore, PLGA nanoparticle formulations may be an important tool for application in many areas for the effective and beneficial use of hydrophobic compounds such as juglone.

Synthesis, characterization and antibacterial activity of juglone encapsulatedPLGAnanoparticles

“…High resolution SEM images of nanoparticles were taken by Field Emission JEOL SEM 7001F under 7–10 kV acceleration voltages (Arasoglu et al . ). Samples were homogeneously coated with 7 nm Au by DC Sputter to prevent the charging effect.…”

Juglone in Oxidative Stress and Cell Signaling

“…A bioinformatics analysis has shown that bacterial proteins that participate in DNA, RNA and protein synthesis as well as in the tricarboxylic acid cycle are inhibited by juglone [98]. It has also been reported that the antifungal and antibacterial activities of juglone nanoparticles are higher than those of free juglone, indicating that the nanoparticle formulation may be a promising way to enhance the beneficial effects of juglone [100,101].…”

The potential of juglone as natural dye and indicator for biodegradable polyesters

“…Juglone is studied for its phyto-medicinal applications. This natural compound has anticancer, 7 cytotoxic, and genotoxic, 8,9 antioxidant, 10–12 antiviral, 13 antibacterial, 14–16 and antifungal 17–22 effects. In traditional medicine, juglone has been used for many years as a treatment for localized, topical fungal infections, such as ringworm.…”