Antifungal nanofibers made by controlled release of sea animal derived peptide

Nanoscale. 2015 Apr 14;7(14):6238-46. doi: 10.1039/c5nr00767d.

Abstract

Candida albicans is a common human-pathogenic fungal species with the ability to cause several diseases including surface infections. Despite the clear difficulties of Candida control, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have emerged as an alternative strategy for fungal control. In this report, different concentrations of antifungal Cm-p1 (Cencritchis muricatus peptide 1) were electrospun into nanofibers for drug delivery. The nanofibers were characterized by mass spectrometry confirming the presence of the peptide on the scaffold. Atomic force microscopy and scanning electronic microscopy were used to measure the diameters, showing that Cm-p1 affects fiber morphology as well as the diameter and scaffold thickness. The Cm-p1 release behavior from the nanofibers demonstrated peptide release from 30 min to three days, leading to effective yeast control in the first 24 hours. Moreover, the biocompatibility of the fibers were evaluated through a MTS assay as well as ROS production by using a HUVEC model, showing that the fibers do not affect cell viability and only nanofibers containing 10% Cm-p1-PVA improved ROS generation. In addition, the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α by the HUVECs was also slightly modified by the 10% Cm-p1-PVA nanofibers. In conclusion, the electrospinning technique applied here allowed for the manufacture of biodegradable biomimetic nanofibrous extracellular membranes with the ability to control fungal infection.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antifungal Agents* / chemistry
  • Antifungal Agents* / pharmacology
  • Aquatic Organisms / chemistry*
  • Candida albicans / growth & development*
  • Delayed-Action Preparations / chemistry
  • Delayed-Action Preparations / pharmacology
  • Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells / cytology
  • Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Interleukin-6 / metabolism
  • Materials Testing / methods
  • Microscopy, Atomic Force
  • Nanofibers / chemistry*
  • Nanofibers / ultrastructure
  • Peptides* / chemistry
  • Peptides* / pharmacology
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / metabolism

Substances

  • Antifungal Agents
  • Delayed-Action Preparations
  • IL6 protein, human
  • Interleukin-6
  • Peptides
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha