Researchers from Wroclaw Medical University have obtained a patent for a new pharmaceutical composition with fluconazole – a drug with antifungal properties. The invention covers the form and application of the active substance. It opens the way to more effective preparations to combat the growing number of infections that are increasingly resistant to available medicinal products.
The drug form, which has been entered into the register of the Polish Patent Office, is based on a combination of fluconazole, a well-known antifungal agent, with poloxamer. This polymer has specific physicochemical properties and allows the development of innovative drug carriers with additional functionalities. Depending on temperature and concentration, it changes its form: at lower temperatures it remains a solution, while at higher temperatures it forms a gel that can be applied locally, for example to the skin, mucous membranes, or the eyeball.
“Thanks to the gel properties of poloxamer, the active substance is released from the carrier gradually and remains longer at the site of application, which enhances its effectiveness,” explains Dr. Katarzyna Malec from the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University. She adds that currently there are no topical antifungal preparations with fluconazole available on the market.
Small Structures, Great Potential
In addition, fluconazole has limited solubility, but the carrier used enables the creation of a micellar system. What does this mean?
“Simply put: poloxamer encapsulates fluconazole inside itself and efficiently delivers it to target sites in the body, while also ensuring gradual release and absorption,” says Dr. habil. Bożena Karolewicz, Professor at Wroclaw Medical University, head of the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology. “Moreover, the structures of the carrier we obtain are so small (their size does not exceed 10 nanometers) that they allow us to develop a form of the preparation that can be administered intravenously.”
Poloxamer also makes it possible to prepare fluconazole solutions with higher concentrations than those found in infusion products currently on the market. Thus, the invention of Wroclaw Medical University scientists will expand the range of therapeutic options and improve treatment effectiveness both in patients requiring systemic antifungal therapy and in those who need local application.
A New Weapon Against Fungi
Studies have shown that the new drug form effectively inhibits the growth of fungal strains resistant to standard treatment, while poloxamer not only facilitates the delivery of the active substance but also supports its activity by affecting yeast cell membranes and weakening their resistance mechanisms. As a result, fluconazole works more effectively than in its classic version.
The patented solution aligns with the global trend of seeking new methods to treat fungal infections, which are becoming an increasing challenge for medicine. As with the rising number of cases, resistance to available drugs is also growing, along with the costs of often ineffective therapies.
The authors of the invention are researchers from the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, the Laboratory of Screening Tests of Biological Activity and Biological Material Collection, and the Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University: Dr. Katarzyna Malec, Dr. habil. Karol Nartowski (†2023), Dr. habil. Bożena Karolewicz, Professor at Wroclaw Medical University, Dr. habil. Urszula Nawrot, Dr. Agnieszka Matera-Witkiewicz, Professor at Wroclaw Medical University, M.Sc. Eng. Aleksandra Mikołajczyk-Tarnawa, and Dr. Dominik Marciniak.
Photo: Tomasz Walów