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(THE GIST OF PIB) Drug Delivery with Nanotechnology

(AUGUST-2024)

Drug Delivery with Nanotechnology

A new technique utilising polymeric nanoparticles has been created to effectively deliver antifungal medications, specifically targeting fungal infections such as pulmonary aspergillosis.

About Nanoparticle-based Drug Delivery System:

Nikkomycin-loaded Nanoparticles:

Scientists have utilised Nikkomycin, a chitin synthesis inhibitor produced by Streptomyces bacteria, and loaded it onto polymeric nanoparticles to target fungal infections.
Chitin, the main component of fungal cell walls, is absent in the human body, making it an ideal target for antifungal drugs. The nanoparticle-based delivery system leverages this difference to disrupt fungal growth.

Effectiveness against Aspergillosis:

The formulation has shown significant effectiveness against Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus fumigatus, the fungi responsible for pulmonary aspergillosis.
The nanoparticle-based drug delivery system inhibits fungal growth without causing cytotoxic (cell-damaging) or hemolytic (red blood cell-damaging) effects, making it a safer treatment option.