Enhanced topical econazole antifungal efficacy by amine-functionalized silica nanoparticles

The present study aims at developing efficient econazole (ECO) platforms as topical creams for the treatment of fungal skin infections. The hexagonal mesoporous silica nanoparticle, known as MCM41, was synthesized and functionalized by aminopropyl groups (MCM41-NH2). Various ECO concentrations were loaded into MCM41 and MCM41-NH2 (MSNs); the optimized complexes with the highest entrapment efficiencies were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and gas-volumetric analysis (BET). SEM images showed a spherical shape of the parent nanoparticles-higher drug loading and incorporation into the nanoparticles were obtained by amino-functionalized MCM41. Cytotoxicity assays of MCM41 and MCM41-NH2 and the ECO inclusion complexes elucidated no toxicity to human dermal fibroblast cell lines. Enhanced antifungal activity against Candida albicans was observed for ECO/MCM41-NH2 compared with ECO/MCM41 and simple cream. No irritation was observed by the cream containing ECO/MSN application on white male rabbit skin after 72 h. MSNs were stable within 1 year storage. ECO-loaded silica nanoparticles can be considered for the development of reliable alternatives to ECO cream for the treatment of skin fungal infections.