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Lipid-Based Drug Delivery Systems as Emerging Tools to Overcome Antifungal Resistance

Lide Arana1, Andrea Guridi2, Elena Sevillano2

  • 1Department of Applied Chemistry, University of the Basque Country EHU, 20018 Donostia, Spain.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|May 27, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Lipid-based drug delivery systems (LDDSs) offer a promising strategy to combat rising antifungal resistance. These systems enhance drug efficacy and overcome resistance mechanisms in fungal infections.

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Nanotechnology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Fungal infections pose a growing global health threat due to increasing incidence and multidrug-resistant strains.
  • Therapeutic challenges include drug target mutations, efflux pumps, biofilm tolerance, and limited new antifungal development.
  • Antifungal resistance necessitates novel therapeutic strategies and improved epidemiological surveillance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the potential of lipid-based drug delivery systems (LDDSs) for optimizing antifungal administration.
  • To explore how LDDSs can overcome key antifungal resistance mechanisms.
  • To highlight LDDSs as a strategy against challenging fungal infections.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current literature on fungal infections, antifungal resistance, and lipid-based drug delivery systems.
  • Discussion of various LDDS formulations including liposomes (LPs), solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs), and lipid nanoparticles (LNPs).
  • Analysis of the physicochemical properties and biological advantages of LDDSs in antifungal therapy.

Main Results:

  • LDDSs exhibit high biocompatibility, stability, and controlled release properties.
  • Nanoscale properties of LDDSs facilitate biofilm penetration, enhance intracellular uptake, and reduce efflux pump activity.
  • LDDSs improve drug bioavailability, reduce toxicity, and promote tissue accumulation.

Conclusions:

  • LDDSs represent a versatile strategy to enhance antifungal drug efficacy and overcome resistance.
  • These systems show potential in treating both superficial and invasive fungal infections, especially those caused by resistant pathogens.
  • Further development of LDDSs is crucial to expand the therapeutic arsenal against fungal diseases.
Keywords:
antifungal resistanceantifungal therapybiofilmsdual-drug deliveryefflux pump inhibitionlipid nanoparticles (LNPs)lipid-based drug delivery systemsliposomes (LPs)nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs)solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs)

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