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The simplest approach to enhance alginate hydrogel characteristics and functional properties is to replace the calcium in the process of alginate gelation with other metallic ions which are essential for living systems. Gelling of alginate with other ions and using modern encapsulation techniques can provide new delivery systems with required properties. Hence, in this study Cu-alginate hydrogels in the form of microbeads were produced by electrostatic extrusion using gelling solutions with Cu(II) concentrations in the range 13.5-270 mM and comprehensively characterized in vitro. The variation of gelling solution concentration influenced the microbead Cu(II) content, size, biomechanical properties, Cu(II) release and subsequently potential biomedical application. The formulations chosen for biomedical evaluation showed potential for antimicrobial and tissue engineering applications. Microbeads with higher Cu(II) loading (~100 μmol g(-1)) induced immediate bactericidal effects against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Conversely, Cu(II) release from microbeads with the Cu(II) content of ~60 μmol g(-1) was slower and they were suitable for promoting and maintaining chondrogenic phenotype of bovine calf chondrocytes in 3D culture. Results of this study have shown possibilities for tuning Cu-alginate properties for potential biomedical applications such as antimicrobial wound dressings, tissue engineering scaffolds or articular cartilage implants.

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Novel biodegradable and biocompatible formulations of “old” but “gold” drugs such as nystatin (Nys) and amphotericin B (AmB) were made using a biopolymer as a matrix. Medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoates (mcl-PHA) were used to formulate both polyenes (Nys and AmB) in the form of films (~50 µm). Thermal properties and stability of the materials were not significantly altered by the incorporation of polyenes in mcl-PHA, but polyene containing materials were more hydrophobic. These formulations were tested in vitro against a panel of pathogenic fungi and for antibiofilm properties. The films containing 0.1 to 2 weight % polyenes showed good activity and sustained polyene release for up to 4 days. A PHA monomer, namely 3-hydroxydecanoic acid (C10-OH), was added to the films to achieve an enhanced synergistic effect with polyenes against fungal growth. Mcl-PHA based polyene formulations showed excellent growth inhibitory activity against both Candida yeasts (C. albicans ATCC 1023, C. albicans SC5314 (ATCC MYA-2876), C. parapsilosis ATCC 22019) and filamentous fungi (Aspergillus fumigatus ATCC 13073; Trichophyton mentagrophytes ATCC 9533, Microsporum gypseum ATCC 24102). All antifungal PHA film preparations prevented the formation of a C. albicans biofilm, while they were not efficient in eradication of mature biofilms, rendering them suitable for the transdermal application or as coatings of implants.

Immobilizing antifungal polyenes such as nystatin (Nys) and amphotericin B (AmB) into biodegradable formulations is advantageous compared to free drug administration providing sustained release, reduced dosing due to localized targeting and overall reduced systemic drug toxicity. In this study, we encapsulated Nys and AmB in medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoates (mcl-PHA) microspheres (7–8 µm in diameter). The obtained formulations have been validated for antifungal activity in vitro against a panel of pathogenic fungi including species of Candida, Aspergillus, Microsporum and Trichophyton genera and toxicity and efficacy in vivo using the zebrafish model of disseminated candidiasis. While free polyenes, especially AmB, were highly toxic to zebrafish embryos at the effective (MIC) doses, after their loading into mcl-PHA microspheres, inner organ toxicity and teratogenicity associated with both drugs were not observed, even at 100 × MIC doses. The obtained mcl-PHA/polyene formulations have successfully eradicated C. albicans infection and showed an improved therapeutic profile in zebrafish by enhancing infected embryos survival. This approach is contributing to the antifungal arsenal as polyenes, although the first broad-spectrum antifungals on the market are still the gold standard for treatment of fungal infections.