A recyclable and light-triggered nanofibrous membrane against the emerging fungal pathogen Candida auris

Polyphenolic natural products as photosensitizers for antimicrobial photodynamic therapy: recent advances and future prospects

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) has become a potent contender in the fight against microbial infections, especially in the context of the rising antibiotic resistance crisis. Recently, there has been significant interest in polyphenolic natural products as potential photosensitizers (PSs) in aPDT, given their unique chemical structures and inherent antimicrobial properties. Polyphenolic natural products, abundant and readily obtainable from natural sources, are generally regarded as safe and highly compatible with the human body. This comprehensive review focuses on the latest developments and future implications of using natural polyphenols as PSs in aPDT. Paramount polyphenolic compounds, including curcumin, hypericin, quercetin, hypocrellin, celastrol, riboflavin, resveratrol, gallic acid, and aloe emodin, are elaborated upon with respect to their structural characteristics, absorption properties, and antimicrobial effects. Furthermore, the aPDT mechanism, specifically its targeted action on microbial cells and biofilms, is also discussed. Polyphenolic natural products demonstrate immense potential as PSs in aPDT, representing a promising alternate approach to counteract antibiotic-resistant bacteria and biofilm-related infections.

Photocuring and Gelatin-Based Antibacterial Hydrogel for Skin Care

The development of moisturizing, antibacterial, and biocompatible multifunctional hydrogels is essential to protect skin and promote skin defects recovery. Gelatin has admired potential to be applied for skin care as a hydrogel in virtue of its hydrophilic biocompatible and biodegradable properties. In this study, triclosan-grafted gelatin and photo-cross-linkable methacrylated gelatin were synthesized and then combined to construct the semi-interpenetrating network and antibacterial hydrogels with the aid of a visible blue light. The antimicrobial test demonstrated that the resulting hydrogel obtained excellent inactivation capacity against E. coli, S. aureus, T. rubrum, and C. albicans with sterilizing rates of 99.998%, 99.998%, 99.19%, and 99.64%, respectively. In addition, the cytotoxicity, hemolysis, skin irritation, and rat skin wound healing experiments proved the good biocompatibility of the hydrogel. Therefore, this investigation sheds light on the development of multifunctional hydrogels in skin care.

Nanotechnology-Based Strategies to Combat Multidrug-Resistant Candida auris Infections

An emerging multidrug-resistant pathogenic yeast called Candida auris has a high potential to spread quickly among hospitalized patients and immunodeficient patients causing nosocomial outbreaks. It has the potential to cause pandemic outbreaks in about 45 nations with high mortality rates. Additionally, the fungus has become resistant to decontamination techniques and can survive for weeks in a hospital environment. Nanoparticles might be a good substitute to treat illnesses brought on by this newly discovered pathogen. Nanoparticles have become a trend and hot topic in recent years to combat this fatal fungus. This review gives a general insight into the epidemiology of C. auris and infection. It discusses the current conventional therapy and mechanism of resistance development. Furthermore, it focuses on nanoparticles, their different types, and up-to-date trials to evaluate the promising efficacy of nanoparticles with respect to C. auris.

Recent Progress and Trends in the Development of Electrospun and 3D Printed Polymeric-Based Materials to Overcome Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) developed by microorganisms is considered one of the most critical public health issues worldwide. This problem is affecting the lives of millions of people and needs to be addressed promptly. Mainly, antibiotics are the substances that contribute to AMR in various strains of bacteria and other microorganisms, leading to infectious diseases that cannot be effectively treated. To avoid the use of antibiotics and similar drugs, several approaches have gained attention in the fields of materials science and engineering as well as pharmaceutics over the past five years. Our focus lies on the design and manufacture of polymeric-based materials capable of incorporating antimicrobial agents excluding the aforementioned substances. In this sense, two of the emerging techniques for materials fabrication, namely, electrospinning and 3D printing, have gained significant attraction. In this article, we provide a summary of the most important findings that contribute to the development of antimicrobial systems using these technologies to incorporate various types of nanomaterials, organic molecules, or natural compounds with the required property. Furthermore, we discuss and consider the challenges that lie ahead in this research field for the coming years.

Development of an antibacterial polypropylene/polyurethane composite membrane for invisible orthodontics application

In virtue of the advantages, such as aesthetics, designability, convenient removal, and comfortable experience, invisible orthodontics (IO) have been widely recognized and accepted by the public. However, most of the membranes currently used for IO only meet the requirement of shape retention. Other vital functions, like antibacterial and antifouling activities, are neglected. Herein, antibacterial composite membranes (ACMs) containing polypropylene (PP), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and poly (hexamethylene guanidine) hydrochloride-sodium stearate (PHMG-SS) were facilely manufactured through the hot-pressing membrane forming technology. ACMs were conferred with favorable transparency (∼70% in the visible light range) and excellent antibacterial ability. Experiment results demonstrated that bactericidal rates of ACMs against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Streptococcus mutans were larger than 99.99%. Noticeably, the amount of protein adhered on the surface of ACMs was only 28.1 μg/cm², showing ideal antifouling performance. Collectively, the mutifunctional ACMs in the study are expected to be prominent alternatives for existing IO.

Emerging Polymer-Based Nanosystem Strategies in the Delivery of Antifungal Drugs

Nanosystems-based antifungal agents have emerged as an effective strategy to address issues related to drug resistance, drug release, and toxicity. Among the diverse materials employed for antifungal drug delivery, polymers, including polysaccharides, proteins, and polyesters, have gained significant attention due to their versatility. Considering the complex nature of fungal infections and their varying sites, it is crucial for researchers to carefully select appropriate polymers based on specific scenarios when designing antifungal agent delivery nanosystems. This review provides an overview of the various types of nanoparticles used in antifungal drug delivery systems, with a particular emphasis on the types of polymers used. The review focuses on the application of drug delivery systems and the release behavior of these systems. Furthermore, the review summarizes the critical physical properties and relevant information utilized in antifungal polymer nanomedicine delivery systems and briefly discusses the application prospects of these systems.

Current research on fungi in chronic wounds

The occurrence of chronic wounds is a major global health issue. These wounds are difficult to heal as a result of disordered healing mechanisms. The most common types of chronic wounds are diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers, arterial/venous ulcers and nonhealing surgical wounds. Although bacteria are an important cause of chronic nonhealing wounds, fungi also play a substantial role in them. The fungal infection rate varies with different chronic wound types, but overall, the prevalence of fungi is extremely underestimated in the clinical treatment and management of chronic wounds. Wounds and ulcers can be colonized by host cutaneous, commensal or environmental fungi and evolve into local infections, causing fungemia as well as invasive fungal disease. Furthermore, the fungi involved in nonhealing wound-related infections help commensal bacteria resist antibiotics and the host immune response, forcing wounds to become reservoirs for multiresistant species, which are considered a potential key factor in the microbial bioburden of wounds and ulcers. Fungi can be recalcitrant to the healing process. Biofilm establishment is the predominant mechanism of fungal resistance or tolerance to antimicrobials in chronic nonhealing wounds. Candida albicans yeast and Trichophyton rubrum filamentous fungi are the main fungi involved in chronic wound infection. Fungal species diversity and drug resistance phenotypes in different chronic nonhealing wound types will be emphasized. In this review, we outline the latest research on fungi in chronic wounds and discuss challenges and future perspectives related to diagnosing and managing chronic wounds.