High antifungal activity is reported, in comparison with commercially availa
ble products, of a novel hy
brid system
based on silver nanoparticles synthesized using a popular antifungal macrocyclic polyene
amphotericin B (AmB) acting
both as a reducing and sta
bilizing/capping agent. The synthesis reaction proceeds in an alkaline environment which prevents aggregation of AmB itself and promotes nanoparticle formation. The innovative approach produces monodisperse (PDI = 0.05), AmB-coated silver nanoparticles (AmB-AgNPs) with the diameter ~ 7 nm. The products were characterized using imaging (electron microscopy) and spectroscopic (UV–vis and infrared a
bsorption, dynamic light scattering and Raman scattering) methods. The nanoparticles were tested against
Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger and
Fusarium culmorum species. For cytotoxicity studies CCD-841CoTr and THP-1 cell lines were used. Particularly high antifungal activity of AmB-AgNPs is interpreted as the result of synergy
between the antifungal activity of
amphotericin B and silver antimicro
bial properties (Ag
+ ions release).
bsSec_2">From the Clinical Editor
Amphotericin B (AmB) is a common agent used for the treatment against severe fungal infections. In this article, the authors described a new approach in using a combination of AmB and silver nanoparticles, in which the silver nanoparticles were synthesized and stabilized by AmB. Experimental data confirmed synergistic antifungal effects between amphotericin B and silver. This novel synthesis process could potentially be important in future drug development and fabrication.