Evaluation of cobalt nanoparticles suspension as antifungal agent in treatment of cutaneous candidiasis

Abstract

Over the last ten years, nanomaterials have been extensively employed in the medical field and several essential industries. It is used mainly in developing novel antimicrobials as an alternative to conventional agents. This research emphasizes synthesizing cobalt nanoparticles (CoNPs) and testing their antifungal activity in treating cutaneous candidiasis.Cobalt nanoparticles (CoNPs) were synthesized from Cobalt Sulfate heptahydrate (CoSO4·7H2O) using hydrazine monohydrate as a reducing agent. The CoNPs suspension was analyzed using X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and the field emission scanning electron microscope to determine the crystallographic and morphological properties and concentration of the produced CoNPs. The antifungal activity of the CoNPs suspension was confirmed in-vitro by the agar well diffusion method and in-vivo by treating an induced case of cutaneous candidiasis in Sprague Dawley rats as a model.The experimental results demonstrated that CoNPs suspension exhibited antifungal action in-vitro (on the plates) and that Candida albicans required a concentration of 9.4 ​μg/mL as the minimum inhibitory concentration. In contrast, data shows that the plate's inhibition zone improved due to increased CoNPs concentration in the prepared suspension. The in-vivo experiment shows complete healing of the skin lesion on day six for the rats' group treated with CoPNs suspension, and on day five in the rats' group treated with Nystatin. These results demonstrate that CoPNs suspension is effective in treating cutaneous candidiasis in Sprague Dawley rats; however, it is still less effective than Nystatin.