One of the most recent advances in the treatment of fungal nail infections (onychomycosis) is the development of nanoparticles for nail fungus. The particles, droplets one millionth of a millimeter wide, are suspended in a liquid that scientists hope will prove a potent topical treatment for a stubborn health problem. When these tiny droplets come in contact with fungal spores or hyphae (the long branching stalks typical of actively growing moulds and other fungi) they fuse with the cell membrane and cause it to disintegrate, spilling its contents and killing the cell.
A nanoemulsion treatment for onychomycosis makes sense because one of biggest obstacles to treating fungal nail infections is getting a topical antifungal to the infected area. Fungi typically begin to grow under the edge of the nail and spread adjacent to the nail bed, protected from the outside world by the hard, impermeable nail. Topical ointments applied from above can’t penetrate the nail, but nanoparticles for nail fungus are so tiny that they not only go through the nail, they also penetrate the surface of the skin and travel through the nearby tissue to reach the fungus.
Nanoemulsion treatment for onychomycosis appears to be safe. A study that followed twenty volunteers who used the suspension found that there were very few side effects, and the majority involved only mild skin irritation. In addition, the nanodroplets do not appear to be absorbed into the body except in the local area of infection. Volunteers in the study applied the nanoparticles for nail fungus to the surface of the nail and surrounding skin twice each day for four weeks. Study conclusions were that the treatment was safer than the oral drugs currently available to treat this type of infection.
It remains to be seen how well nanoparticles for nail fungus will work over the long term and with infections caused by different species of fungus. In laboratory testing, the suspension had lethal effects on four common dermatophytes (fungi that infect skin, hair, and nails) and against yeast, at a concentration about one thousand times less than the concentration of the solution used in the study. This bodes well for the future of the treatment. More clinical trials have already begun to confirm the efficacy and safety of nanoemulsion treatment for onychomycosis.
Source: Jones, T., M. Flack, M. Ijzerman, and J. R. Baker Jr. “Safety, Tolerance, and Pharmacokinetics of Topical Nanoemulsion (NB-002) for the Treatment of Onychomycosis.” Presented at American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting, February 1-5, 2008, San Antonio, Texas.
