Formulation of Tioconazole and <i>Melaleuca alternifolia</i> Essential Oil Pickering Emulsions for Onychomycosis Topical Treatment

• Main Authors: Barbara Vörös-Horváth, Sourav Das, Ala’ Salem, Sándor Nagy, Andrea Böszörményi, Tamás Kőszegi, Szilárd Pál, Aleksandar Széchenyi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-11-01
• Series: Molecules
• Subjects: pickering emulsions; onychomycosis topical treatment; tioconazole; tea tree essential oil; antifungal activity
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/23/5544
• ISSN: 1420-3049

Onychomycosis is a disease that affects many adults, whose treatment includes both oral and topical therapies with low cure rates. The topical therapy is less effective but causes fewer side effects. This is why the development of an effective, easy to apply formulation for topical treatment is of high importance. We have used a nanotechnological approach to formulate Pickering emulsions (PEs) with well-defined properties to achieve site-specific delivery for antifungal drug combination of tioconazole and <i>Melaleuca alternifolia</i> essential oil. Silica nanoparticles with tailored size and partially hydrophobic surface have been synthesized and used for the stabilization of PEs. In vitro diffusion studies have been performed to evaluate the drug delivery properties of PEs. Ethanolic solution (ES) and conventional emulsions (CE) have been used as reference drug formulations. The examination of the antifungal effect of PEs has been performed on <i>Candida albicans</i> and <i>Trichophyton rubrum</i> as main pathogens. In vitro microbiological experimental results suggest that PEs are better candidates for onychomycosis topical treatment than CE or ES of the examined drugs. The used drugs have shown a significant synergistic effect, and the combination with an effective drug delivery system can result in a promising drug form for the topical treatment of onychomycosis.