Itraconazole-Loaded Ufasomes: Evaluation, Characterization, and Anti-Fungal Activity against Candida albicans

Abstract

Numerous obstacles challenge the treatment of fungal infections, including the uprising resistance and the low penetration of available drugs. One of the main active agents against fungal infections is itraconazole (ITZ), with activity against a broad spectrum of fungi while having few side effects. The aim of this study was to design ufasomes, oleic acid-based colloidal carriers, that could encapsulate ITZ to improve its penetration power. Employing a 2231 factorial design, the effect of three independent factors (oleic acid amount, cholesterol concentration, and ITZ amount) was investigated and evaluated for the percentage encapsulation efficiency (%EE), particle size (PS), and zeta potential (ZP). Optimization was performed using Design® expert software and the optimized ITZ-loaded ufasomes obtained had %EE of 99.4 ± 0.7%, PS of 190 ± 1 nm, and ZP of −81.6 ± 0.4 mV, with spherical unilamellar morphology and no aggregation. An in vitro microbiological study was conducted to identify the minimum inhibitory concentration of the selected formula against Candida albicans, which was found to be 0.0625 μg/mL. Moreover, the optimized formula reduced the expression of toll-like receptors-4 and pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β secretion in the C. albicans-infected fibroblasts, indicating that the proposed ITZ-loaded ufasomes are a promising drug delivery system for ITZ.

Antagonistic Activity of Endophytic Fungi Isolated From Aloe Vera Leaves Against Some Plant Pathogenic Fungi

“…Oleic acid was used to design ufasomes (unsaturated fatty acid vesicles), which are monolayer spherical colloidal carriers used for encapsulating the antifungal drug Itraconazole (ITZ). A microbiological study confirmed the ability of the produced ufasomes to inhibit phospholipase and proteinase produced by C. albicans (16). Oleic acid has antifungal activities against three Gram-positive bacteria (11).…”

Preparation and Optimization of Itraconazole Transferosomes-Loaded HPMC Hydrogel for Enhancing Its Antifungal Activity: 2^3 Full Factorial Design

“…Passos et al prepared ITZ-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers to improve its skin permeability and increase its localization in skin lesions associated with fungal infections [ 20 ]. Hashem et al prepared ITZ-loaded ufasomes to enhance the skin permeability and improve its antifungal activity against Candida albicans [ 21 ].…”