Antifungal polymers for medical applications

Abstract

The application of polymers as medical devices has steadily increased in almost all medical fields because of the versatility of these materials. Thus, research has focused both on the development of more appropriate materials for specific situations and on the modification of already useful materials for the improvement of their intrinsic properties. Modifications on this kind of materials have increased their potential uses by adapting their mechanical properties to specific needs. Moreover, biocompatibility of the polymeric materials has been improved by the inclusion of certain functional groups, providing responses to physical and chemical stimuli present in physiological conditions.Until recently, one of the most worrying problems in hospitals has been infections derived from medical devices usage. Typically, this kind of infections was handled with the use of prophylactic and therapeutic treatments with 'classic' (low-molecular weight) antimicrobial agents. This strategy has been effective in most patients suffering from nosocomial infections. However, it has the disadvantage of substantially increasing the probability of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens appearance, which continue to be especially dangerous in hospital environments (Cohen et al., 2017; World Health Organization, n.d.;Zegers et al., 2017). Additionally, due to

Molecular Mapping of Antifungal Mechanisms Accessing Biomaterials and New Agents to Target Oral Candidiasis

“…Polymers’ versatility is also recognized in their ability to sustain drug delivery after incorporation into nanocolloidal dispersions, nanoparticle supports, or complex nanocomposites, as previously discussed. The interest becomes greater when polymers have the power to interact with drug molecules or to be grafted with functional chemical groups, initiating the antifungal activity in this route [ 198 ].…”

“…Thus, polymers are promising biomaterials that can be processed to exhibit antifungal activity. Recent pursuits proposed various manners in which polymers may be adapted to these requirements by the modification of the polymeric structure with specific moieties derived from antifungal drugs, the modification of polyenes and echinocandins, the synthesis of composites with the inclusion of inorganic or organic compounds, or designing polymers as inclusion agents for various drug molecules [ 198 ]. Groups of peptide-like polymers, inspired by the activity of antimicrobial peptides, have been suggested, with activity on resistant C. albicans and other fungi strains.…”

“…It has a biodegradable character, the ability to be integrated in complex polymeric drug delivery systems, hydrogels, and nanocolloids, and not least, it presents regenerative and antimicrobial qualities [ 216 ]. Although these properties seem to describe an ideal structure for biomedical applications, chitosan needs proper processing due to its hydrophilicity and limited solubility [ 198 , 216 ]. Thus, the modification of its structure determines the generation of chitosan derivates with N-substituted groups via alkylation.…”

Biomaterials for the Prevention of Oral Candidiasis Development

“…Nylon-3 polymers have been proven to have significant activity against pathogenic strains of C. albicans that are resistant to conventional medication. Particularly, nylon-3 polymers with β-amino residues (βNM) in their backbone structure attracted more interest due to their resemblance to proteins that induce biocompatibility [60][61][62][63]. Moreover, such nylon-3 polymers can be easily prepared, being promising as clinical antifungal agents [60].…”

“…Guanidines are another class of cationic polymers that can be used as antiseptics and antimicrobials. Particularly, polyhexamethylene guanidine hydrochloride (PHMGH) was evaluated for its antifungal properties [61,[64][65][66]. Choi et al [67] reported a more potent antifungal activity of PHMGH than amphotericin B, with no hemolytic and lactate dehydrogenase release activities.…”