Gelatin Nanoemulsion-Based Co-Delivery of Terbinafine and Essential Oils for Treatment of Candida albicans Biofilms

Fungal infections represent a significant global health challenge. <i>Candida albicans</i> is a particularly widespread pathogen, with both molecular and biofilm-based mechanisms making it resistant to or tolerant of available antifungal drugs. This study reports a combination therapy, active against <i>C. albicans</i>, utilizing terbinafine and essential oils incorporated into a gelatin-based nanoemulsion system (T-GNE). Eugenol and methyl eugenol/terbinafine T-GNEs had an additive efficacy, while carvacrol (CT-GNE) worked synergistically with terbinafine, providing effective antifungal treatment with minimal mammalian cell toxicity. Confocal microscopy demonstrated that CT-GNE penetrated the dense <i>C. albicans</i> biofilm and disrupted the fungal cell membrane. Overall, the combination of essential oils with terbinafine in GNE provided a promising treatment for fungal biofilms.