Nanostructure Drug Delivery System: An Inimitable Approach for Candidiasis Therapy

Abstract

Candidiasis is among the most frequent healthcare-associated infections and leads to significant morbidity and mortality because of late diagnosis and delayed treatment. Candidiasis is a major problem for immunocompromised individuals and patients in intensive care units. Candidiasis is a fungal infection associated with yeast that belongs to Candida genus. There are over 20 species of Candida yeasts that can cause infection in humans, the most common of which are C. albicans and C. glabrata. Candidiasis is majorly categorized into superficial (oral, dermal, and vaginal) and systemic candidiasis, called as invasive candidiasis. Despite the availability of several antifungal agents, their therapeutic outcome is less than optimal due to limitations related to drug physicochemical properties like aqueous solubility, toxicity, and resistance. Nanostructure drug delivery system holds great promise to overcome these limitations due to its ability to enhance drug aqueous solubility, bioavailability, and target-specific delivery. Therefore, nanoscale strategy could be an excellent option to improve the clinical efficacy of antifungal drugs and patient acceptability. This book chapter encompasses the nanostructure-based drug delivery systems that have been exploited for the delivery of antifungal drugs with desirable benefits. It also touches upon the mechanism of azole resistance in candidiasis therapy and the role of nanostructure-based drug delivery systems to reverse this resistance.