Rao, S. H. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2022

Testing the Efficacy of Transungual Drug Delivery System (Nail Lacquer) Containing Terbinafine Against Aspergillus brasiliensis for the Topical Treatment of Onychomycosis.

According to a survey of 42 epidemiological studies, the cases of Non-dermatophyte mould onychomycosis (NDMO) caused by Aspergillus species have been found to increase. The number ranges from <1 to 35% of all cases of onychomycosis in the general population and the number is higher in the diabetic population. Around7.7-100% of cases of NDMO are caused by Aspergillus species. Hence the attempt of investigation to test the efficacy of the drug by transungual drug permeation has been made. The antifungal agent Terbinafine was incorporated in a topical dosage form (Nail lacquer). The formulation is optimized by a drug design matrix of 23 type using Design-Expert(R)software, version 11 (DX11). The antifungal assay was performed using the Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method and other evaluation parameters like Drying time, Viscosity are evaluated. Optimized formulation with the highest desirability was selected out of all the possible formulations which showed the best results with good physicochemical properties and antifungal activity. Thus, it can be concluded that medicated nail lacquers containing Terbinafine can be used as a successful method to treat non-dermatophyte mould onychomycosis (NDMO) caused by Aspergillus species.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2022

RelCoVax(R), a two antigen subunit protein vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2 induces strong immune responses in mice

The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred an unprecedented movement to develop safe and effective vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus to immunize the global population. The first set of vaccine candidates that received emergency use authorization targeted the spike (S) glycoprotein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that enables virus entry into cells via the receptor binding domain (RBD). Recently, multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2 have emerged with mutations in S protein and the ability to evade neutralizing antibodies in vaccinated individuals. We have developed a dual RBD and nucleocapsid (N) subunit protein vaccine candidate named RelCoVax(R) through heterologous expression in mammalian cells (RBD) and E. coli (N). The RelCoVax(R) formulation containing a combination of aluminum hydroxide (alum) and a synthetic CpG oligonucleotide as adjuvants elicited high antibody titers against RBD and N proteins in mice after a prime and boost dose regimen administered 2 weeks apart. The vaccine also stimulated cellular immune responses with a potential Th1 bias as evidenced by increased IFN-{gamma} release by splenocytes from immunized mice upon antigen exposure particularly N protein. Finally, the serum of mice immunized with RelCoVax(R) demonstrated the ability to neutralize two different SARS-CoV-2 viral strains in vitro including the Delta strain that has become dominant in many regions of the world and can evade vaccine induced neutralizing antibodies. These results warrant further evaluation of RelCoVax(R) through advanced studies and contribute towards enhancing our understanding of multicomponent subunit vaccine candidates against SARS-CoV-2.

immunology↗