Phytochemical-Loaded Biodegradable Nanoemulsions for Eradication of Fungal Biofilms

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 28, 2026

An Antimicrobial Fabric Using Nano-Herbal Encapsulation of Essential Oils
07:47

An Antimicrobial Fabric Using Nano-Herbal Encapsulation of Essential Oils

Published on: April 7, 2023

Muhammad Aamir Hassan1, Harini Chandrababu1, Jungmi Park1

  • 1Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 710 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.

Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland)
|May 26, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Biodegradable nanoemulsions loaded with carvacrol (C-BNE) show potent activity against drug-resistant fungal biofilms. This essential oil nanoemulsion effectively penetrates and eliminates Candida species, offering a promising solution for challenging infections.

Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Antimicrobial Research
  • Nanotechnology

Background:

  • Fungal infections, particularly those involving biofilms, pose a significant and growing health challenge.
  • Candida species are primary causative agents of biofilm-related infections on wounds and medical devices.
  • Existing treatments often struggle against these resilient biofilms, necessitating novel therapeutic strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and evaluate biodegradable nanoemulsions (BNEs) loaded with essential oil components for combating biofilm-associated fungal infections.
  • To assess the antibiofilm efficacy of carvacrol (C-BNE), geraniol (G-BNE), and eugenol (E-BNE) against various Candida species.
  • To investigate the mechanism of action of the most effective nanoemulsion against fungal biofilms.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of biodegradable nanoemulsions (BNEs) encapsulating carvacrol, geraniol, and eugenol within a biodegradable polymeric scaffold.
  • Assessment of the antibiofilm efficacy of C-BNE, G-BNE, and E-BNE against 2-day-old biofilms of multiple Candida species.
  • Utilizing confocal microscopy to visualize C-BNE penetration into biofilms and its effect on fungal cell integrity.

Main Results:

  • Carvacrol-loaded BNEs (C-BNE) demonstrated superior efficacy against all tested fungal biofilms compared to G-BNE and E-BNE.
  • Confocal microscopy confirmed that C-BNE effectively penetrated the fungal biofilm structure.
  • C-BNE was observed to kill fungal cells by disrupting their cell membrane integrity.

Conclusions:

  • Essential oil-loaded nanoemulsions, particularly C-BNE, show significant potential as an effective treatment against drug-resistant biofilm-associated fungal infections.
  • The ability of C-BNE to penetrate biofilms and compromise fungal cell membranes highlights its therapeutic promise.
  • This study provides a foundation for developing advanced nano-based therapies to address challenging fungal infections.
Keywords:
Candida albicansCandida duobushaemuloniiCandida kruseiessential oilfungal infectionnanoemulsion

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