The Effectiveness of Chitosan-Coated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles as Antifungals against Various Candida Species

I he advent of antifungal agents' resistance has sparked the creation of more effective medications and innovative methods for treating a variety of fungal infections. Due to its biodegradability, lack of cytotoxicity, and reactive surface that may be modified with biocompatible coatings, chitosan-coated iron oxide Fe3O4 nanoparticles (CS-coated Fe3O4 NPs) have received a lot of attention. The authors were prompted to research whether CS-coated Fe3O4 NPs would be useful against fungal infections brought on by Candida species after learning about the different medical applications of CS-coated Fe3O4 NPs. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction were used in this study to characterize CS-coated Fe3O4 NPs. The objective of this investigation was to compare the antifungal efficacy of CS-coated Fe3O4 NPs to several Candida spp. against fluconazole (FLC). The MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) and MFC (minimum fungicidal concentration) values of CS-coated Fe3O4 NPs varied from 59 to 475 g/ml and 475 to 950 g/ml, respectively. Both the MFC and MIC of FLC were found to be in the range of 61-486 g/ml and 15-119 g/ml, respectively. According to the growth inhibition value, CS-coated Fe3O4 NPs were most effective against Candida glabrata, Candida albicans, and Candida tropicalis species. The results demonstrated that all of the tested Candida spp. could not develop when exposed to the CS-coated Fe3O4 NPs.