Metallic and lipid nanoparticles against multidrug resistant Candida: advances and translational hurdles

Among the many ongoing difficulties, Candida infections present significant clinical hurdles due to the rapid development of resistance, recurrent episodes, and the limited effectiveness of conventional therapies. In recent decades, metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) and lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have shown a specific impact (>84% Candida biofilm inhibition in preclinical models) by addressing the critical challenges of mitigating drug side effects and multidrug resistance (MDR).

This paper provides an in-depth overview of synthesis, fabrication, mechanistic insights, preclinical and clinical practices for MNPs and LNPs, discussing and highlighting their therapeutic efficacy against resistant Candida species over traditional methods. The literature was sourced from peer-reviewed journals and databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, WIPO, and Clinical Trials up to May 2025.

In this portion the potential of hybrid MNP-LNP systems with surface modification enables functionalization by targeting ligands and more specific binding toward fungal cells to enhance the therapeutic index. In addition, combining drug-loaded MNPs and LNPs with artificial intelligence (AI), photodynamic, gene, or immune therapies offers a comprehensive and innovative solution for MDR Candida. However, addressing regulatory complexity still needs to be considered toward optimizing the stability and scalability of MNPs and LNPs for clinically meaningful translation.