Specialists of the Institute of Nuclear Sciences from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (ICN-UNAM), led by Dr. Sophia Guillermina Burillo Amezcua, have developed a system that provides antifungal properties to different materials. This product destroys fungi that proliferate in the body and protects it especially when the immune system is weakened.
This finding is part of the doctoral thesis entitled Antifungal Bio-inspired Systems, which was conducted by the student Tania Segura. Through a compound called ergosterol, it was possible to incorporate into surgical materials drugs like natamycin, histamicine or vancomycin. These drugs, capable of eliminating various types of fungi, are retained by the compound and released when the instrument comes into contact with skin or an organ contaminated by fungi, attacking immediately the harmful microorganisms.
“The human body has several types of fungal colonies in various parts of the body such as the feet, mouth and generally in the cavities; being Candida species the most common. These microorganisms, that generally pose no risk, are dangerous when people’s immune system is weak; since in these conditions fungi reproduce in much larger amounts than usual. This commonly occurs in situations such as surgery or when it is necessary to introduce some kind of devices or catheters,” explained Dr. Burillo Amezcua, founder of the Laboratory of Chemistry and Radiation in Macromolecules at ICN-UNAM.
This system is still in effectiveness testing process, which was developed in collaboration with Dr. Carmen Alvarez Lorenzano and Dr. Angel Conchiero, specialists from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. It is expected that this new scientific development will be introduced to pharmaceutical entrepreneurs soon.
Through: Investigación y desarrollo ID
