Materials with fungi-bioinspired surface for efficient binding and fungi-sensitive release of antifungal agents

Materials with fungi-bioinspired surface have been designed to host ergosterol-binding polyene antibiotics and to release them via a competitive mechanism only when fungi are present in the medium. Silicone rubber (SR) surfaces were endowed with selective loading and fungi-triggered release of polyene antifungal agents by means of a two-step functionalization that involved the grafting of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) via a γ-ray preirradiation method (9-21.3% wt grafting) and the subsequent immobilization of ergosterol (3.9-116.8 mg/g) to the epoxy groups of polyGMA. The functionalized materials were characterized using FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) image analyses. Specific interactions between natamycin or nystatin and ergosterol endowed SR with ability to take up these polyene drugs, while immobilization of ergosterol did not modify the loading of antifungal drugs that did not interact in vivo with ergosterol (e.g., miconazole). In a buffer medium, polyene-loaded ergosterol-immobilized slabs efficiently retained the drug (<10% released at day 14), while in the presence of ergosterol-containing liposomes that mimic fungi membranes the release rate was 10-to-15-fold enhanced due to a competitive displacement of the drug from the ergosterol-immobilized slab to the ergosterol-containing liposomes. Release in the presence of cholesterol liposomes was slower due to a weaker interaction with polyene agents. The fungi-responsive release was demonstrated for both polyene drugs tested and for slabs prepared with a wide range of amounts of immobilized GMA and ergosterol, demonstrating the robustness of the approach. Nystatin-loaded functionalized slabs were challenged with Candida albicans and showed improved capability to inhibit biofilm formation compared to nystatin-soaked pristine SR, confirming the performance of the bioinspired materials.