Striking Back against Fungal Infections: The Utilization of Nanosystems for Antifungal Strategies

• Main Authors: Wei Du, Yiru Gao, Li Liu, Sixiang Sai, Chen Ding
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-09-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: fungal infection; antifungal therapies; nanosystems
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/18/10104

Fungal infections have become a major health concern, given that invasive infections by <i>Candida, Cryptococcus,</i> and <i>Aspergillus</i> species have led to millions of mortalities. Conventional antifungal drugs including polyenes, echinocandins, azoles, allylamins, and antimetabolites have been used for decades, but their limitations include off-target toxicity, drug-resistance, poor water solubility, low bioavailability, and weak tissue penetration, which cannot be ignored. These drawbacks have led to the emergence of novel antifungal therapies. In this review, we discuss the nanosystems that are currently utilized for drug delivery and the application of antifungal therapies.