Biogenic silver nanoparticles as antifungal agents

MUSSIN, JAVIER; GIUSIANO, GUSTAVO

Frontiers in Chemistry

Frontiers Media S.A

Año: 2022 vol. 10

In recent years, an increase in multidrug-resistant fungal strains has beenobserved, which, together with the limited number of clinically availableantifungal agents, highlights the need for the development of new antifungalagents. Due to the proven antifungal activity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs),there is a growing interest in their use in the treatment of fungal infections.Nanoparticles are usually synthesised through a variety of physical and chemicalprocesses that are costly and pollute the environment. For this reason, biogenicsynthesis is emerging as an environmentally friendly technology and newstrategies are increasingly based on the use of biogenic AgNPs as antifungalagents for clinical use. The aim of this review is to compare the antifungalactivity of different biogenic AgNPs and to summarise the current knowledgeon the mechanisms of action and resistance of fungi to AgNPs. Finally, a generalanalysis of the toxicity of biogenic AgNPs in human and veterinary medicine isperformed.