Pea Protein Isolate-Based Nanofibers for Delivery of Clotrimazole

A large part of the global population, including both immunocompromised and healthy individuals, suffers from fungal infections. The majority of current drug candidates for treating fungal infections exhibit poor water solubility, which hampers their permeability through biological barriers and limits their bioavailability. Here, we fabricated pea protein isolate (PPI)/poly(ethylene oxide) nanofibers (PPI/PEO nanofibers), with a high protein content [65% (w/w)] by waterborne electrospinning as an eco-friendly drug delivery system. X-ray diffraction results demonstrated that the solid-state properties of the individual components (PPI and PEO) were retained in the PPI/PEO nanofibers. We then encapsulated the poorly water-soluble drug, clotrimazole (CTZ), in the nanofibers (PPI/PEO/CTZ nanofibers), without heat treatment and/or use of an organic solvent or surfactant to presolubilize CTZ, generating an antifungal delivery system for topical administration. An in vitro study demonstrated that CTZ was successfully loaded in and released from the nanofibers. Additionally, the nanofibers were not toxic to HeLa cells. Finally, based on an antifungal disc agar diffusion study, CTZ-loaded nanofibers were shown to be effective against Candida albicans. The overall results demonstrate the potential of PPI-based nanofibers as a green platform for the generation of CTZ-loaded efficient drug delivery systems for antifungal treatment.