Anti-fungal therapy via incorporation of nanostructures: A systematic review for new dimensions

Abstract

Background: Fungal infections are one of the most prevailing worldwide public health issues. Despite the commercially available antifungal drugs, side effects associated with these agents and resistance may lead to the development of antifungal drugs by using advanced technology. Main body of the abstract: In the current era, nanotechnology is one of the most predominant techniques with massive advantages in the field of medicines and medical sciences. In the last two decades, various nanostructures were developed based on metals, plants, and microorganisms. The aim of the review is to discuss all original researches and to review articles of the last two decades, including earlier and recent development in different types of nanostructures as an antifungal therapy. Published papers in the English language were searched and reviewed from the online databases from January 2007 till May 2021. The search engines included were PubMed, Google, Google scholar, and Sciencedirect. In all the databases, the keywords “fungi”, “antifungal”, “nanomaterials”, “nanostructures” and “nanotechnology” were used for literature search. Short conclusion: The innovative nanostructures are vital for the treatment of different strains of fungal infections i.e. from minor nail infections to major systemic fungal infections. Additionally, nanostructures also enhance the efficacy, solubility, penetration, and drug release to the targeted site of conventional antifungal agents.