Antifungal activity of dental resins containing amphotericin B-conjugated nanoparticles.

Objectives: To evaluate the antifungal activity, biocompatibility and mechanical properties of dental resins containing silica nanoparticles functionalized with amphotericin B (SNP-DexOxAmB) against five species of Candida.

Methods: Dental resin composites (Spectrum, Dentsply DeTrey, GmbH, Germany) having 2% (w/w) of SNP-DexOxAmB (SNPs of 5 and 80nm, denoted as SNP5 and SNP80) were aged for 10, 20 and 30 days at 37°C, in phosphate buffer saline buffer pH 7.4 (PBS).

Differential internalization of amphotericin B--conjugated nanoparticles in human cells and the expression of heat shock protein 70.

Although a variety of nanoparticles (NPs) functionalized with amphotericin B, an antifungal agent widely used in the clinic, have been studied in the last years their cytotoxicity profile remains elusive. Here we show that human endothelial cells take up high amounts of silica nanoparticles (SNPs) conjugated with amphotericin B (AmB) (SNP-AmB) (65.4 ± 12.

Nanoparticles for intracellular-targeted drug delivery.

Nanoparticles (NPs) are very promising for the intracellular delivery of anticancer and immunomodulatory drugs, stem cell differentiation biomolecules and cell activity modulators. Although initial studies in the area of intracellular drug delivery have been performed in the delivery of DNA, there is an increasing interest in the use of other molecules to modulate cell activity. Herein, we review the latest advances in the intracellular-targeted delivery of short interference RNA, proteins and small molecules using NPs.

Antifungal nanoparticles and surfaces.

Nosocomial fungal infections, an increasing healthcare concern worldwide, are often associated with medical devices. We have developed antifungal nanoparticle conjugates that can act in suspension or attach to a surface, efficiently killing fungi. For that purpose, we immobilized covalently amphotericin B (AmB), a potent antifungal agent approved by the FDA, widely used in clinical practice and effective against a large spectrum of fungi, into silica nanoparticles.