The athlete's foot infection that roughly 70% of individuals experience at some point in their lives may be easier to cure with nanoscale drills triggered by visible light. As per a study published in Advanced Science, molecular machines created by Rice University chemist James Tour and his team, which are effective against antibiotic-resistant bacteria and cancer cells, are equally as effective in combating fungal infections.
The Tour group's molecular machines, inspired by the work of Nobel laureate Bernard Feringa, are nanoscale compounds with a paddle-like chain of atoms, as reported by Phys. These atoms move in a single direction upon exposure to visible light, leading to a drilling motion that enables the machines to penetrate and destroy cells.
Black Fungus and Immunosuppressant Drugs
Fungal infections are a significant danger to patients with a compromised immune system, such as cancer patients and transplant recipients. Treating bacterial infections in the United States alone costs over $7 billion annually.
The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the situation as immunosuppressants were commonly used to lower the chance of long-term organ damage caused by an overactive immune system fighting the virus, leading to a surge in fungal infections. According to Santos, following the first wave of the pandemic, doctors noticed a rise in cases of mucormycosis, also known as "black fungus", a rare fungal infection that leads to a pneumonia-like illness caused by the excessive use of immunosuppressant drugs.
The aim is to find a method to fight against fungal infections without putting additional strain on a weakened immune system, and there is hope that these molecular machines might be a solution. Santos also mentioned that the excessive use of antifungals in agriculture contributes to the human resistance. She stated that this emerging phenomenon is just beginning to be understood and that antifungals are used in agriculture to prevent damage to crops caused by fungal infestations.
Nanoscale Drills' Properties
However, many of the antifungal drugs used in agriculture are also used in humans, leading to resistance in fungi causing plant illness and in other fungi, including those harmful to humans. In contrast to most antifungals, no evidence of resistance to the nanoscale drills activated by visible light was found. Their rotors, which spin at 2-3 million times per second, cause fungal cells to fall apart by disrupting their metabolism.
Santos stated that there are only a few types of antifungals in clinical use, and these conventional antifungals mainly employ one of a few different mechanisms of action, such as inhibiting the synthesis of the fungal cell wall, targeting the fungal cell membrane, or inhibiting the production of ergosterol, which is a crucial component for the proper structure of the fungal cell membrane.
Santos further added that their molecule is different from conventional antifungals as they specifically target the mitochondria, which are responsible for producing ATP and driving cellular metabolism. By focusing on the mitochondria, their molecules disrupt the cell's metabolism, resulting in an energy imbalance that causes an uncontrolled flow of water and ions like calcium into the cell, eventually destroying the cell.
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