New Delhi (ISJ): Indian scientists develop an effective treatment for fungal keratitis, which is a leading cause of blindness in one eye in India. Currently available drugs for the disease are less effective due to poor penetration, poor bioavailability and antifungal efficacy.
Higher incidence of fungal keratitis in India is attributed to its huge agrarian population, which is prone to vegetative trauma while farming. Vegetative trauma to the eye is generally caused by infected vegetable matter such as plant leaves and often leads to fungal infection of the cornea in the eyes or fungal keratitis.
According to the WHO, fungal keratitis is a leading cause of monocular blindness i.e, blindness in one eye, in the developing world. According to a recent study published in Lancet, the highest annual incidence per 1 lakh people is reported in Southern Asia and India accounts for more than 50 percent of the fungal keratitis cases out of total microbial keratitis cases in the South Asian region.
Currently, US FDA-approved Natamycin is used as a primary line of treatment for fungal keratitis but due to poor ocular penetration, it requires prolonged and frequent dosing, causing discomfort to patients.
An all-women team of researchers led by Prof. Archana Chugh of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi developed a better antifungal strategy for fungal keratitis. These researchers worked in collaboration with their counterparts in Dr. CM Shah Memorial Charitable Trust and Eye Life, Mumbai to develop a novel peptide-based antifungal strategy for enhanced penetration of Natamycin.
“These peptides are known to have the ability to carry molecules with them in the cells. Therefore, when poorly permeable Natamycin was attached to the peptide, the resultant complex showed better antifungal effect,” said Prof. Archana Chugh.
During in animal studies, the scientists found conjugate drug penetration was 5-fold higher than Natamycin in rabbits, thus enabling lowering of the dosage frequency. Further, 44 percent of mice showed complete resolution of fungal infection with the novel conjugate as compared with 13 percent of mice that were treated with Natamycin suspension only.
The study has been recently published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics and the researchers hope biotechnology or pharma industry would come forward for its clinical trials.
“We are very excited with the results obtained so far and look forward to initiating a clinical trial with the participation of the Industry and other relevant agencies,” said Dr.Sushmita G. Shah, Ophthalmologist and Cornea Specialist at Dr. CM Shah Memorial Charitable Trust and Eye Life.
Source: IIT Delhi
Image: Representational
