Repurposing Disulfiram as an Antifungal Agent: Development of a New Disulfiram Vaginal Mucoadhesive Gel
Open accessAbstract
Alternative formulations need to be developed to improve the efficacy of treatments administered via the vaginal route. Mucoadhesive gels with disulfiram, a molecule that was originally approved as an antialcoholism drug, offer an attractive alternative to treat vaginal candidiasis. The aim of the current study was to develop and optimize a mucoadhesive drug delivery system for the local administration of disulfiram. Such formulations were composed of polyethylene glycol and carrageenan to improve the mucoadhesive and mechanical properties and to prolong the residence time in the vaginal cavity. Microdilution susceptibility testing showed that these gels had antifungal activity against Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, and Nakaseomyces glabratus. The physicochemical properties of the gels were characterized, and the in vitro release and permeation profiles were investigated with vertical diffusion Franz cells. After quantification, it was determined that the amount of the drug retained in the pig vaginal epithelium was sufficient to treat candidiasis infection. Together, our findings suggest that mucoadhesive disulfiram gels have the potential to be an effective alternative treatment for vaginal candidiasis.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
DIS disrupts key fungal cell processes and exhibits potent antifungal activity against Candida and Cryptococcus species by inhibiting both growth and biofilm formation.
“DIS disrupts key fungal cell processes (metabolism, replication, and membrane transport), exhibiting potent antifungal activity against Candida and Cryptococcus species by inhibiting both growth and biofilm formation.111,112,113”
From Off-label and repurposed use of disulfiram beyond alcohol dependence: A systematic review of clinical and preclinical evidence (2026) · cites this paper as [112]
The Results and Discussion (§3.1; page unavailable) report that disulfiram inhibited the growth of three tested Candida species at 2–8 µg/mL, and discuss possible effects on metabolic pathways and drug transport. The paper does not establish disruption of replication or inhibition of biofilm formation, and its susceptibility tests did not include Cryptococcus. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredDIS's antifungal effects arise from inactivating key enzymes, including ALDH, urease, and carbamate kinase.
“DIS’s antifungal effects arise from inactivating key enzymes, including ALDH, urease (URE), and carbamate kinase (CK).”
From Off-label and repurposed use of disulfiram beyond alcohol dependence: A systematic review of clinical and preclinical evidence (2026) · cites this paper as [112]
The Introduction says disulfiram inhibits ALDH in its treatment of alcoholism, but does not link ALDH inhibition to its antifungal effect. The Results and Discussion (§3.1; page unavailable) instead proposes metal chelation and affinity for cysteine thiol groups as possible explanations for antifungal activity. Our copy does not identify urease or carbamate kinase as targets. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
The citation lists haven’t been fetched yet
References 61 · Cited by 2
Research works printed but not linked: 59
- [1]Johal H.S. Garg T. Rath G. Goyal A.K. Advanced topical drug delivery system for the management of vaginal candidiasis Drug Deliv. 2016 23 550 563 10.3109/10717544.2014.928760 24959937 · DOI
- [2]Ceccarani C. Foschi C. Parolin C. D’antuono A. Gaspari V. Consolandi C. Laghi L. Camboni T. Vitali B. Severgnini M. Diversity of vaginal microbiome and metabolome during genital infections Sci. Rep. 2019 9 14095 10.1038/s41598-019-50410-x 31575935 PMC6773718 · DOI
- [3]Pérez-González N. Febrer N.B.-D. Calpena-Campmany A.C. Nardi-Ricart A. Rodríguez-Lagunas M.J. Morales-Molina J.A. Soriano-Ruiz J.L. Fernández-Campos F. Clares-Naveros B. New formulations loading caspofungin for topical therapy of vulvovaginal candidiasis Gels 2021 7 259 10.3390/gels7040259 34940319 PMC8701247 · DOI
- [4]Rodríguez-Cerdeira C. Gregorio M.C. Molares-Vila A. López-Barcenas A. Fabbrocini G. Bardhi B. Sinani A. Sánchez-Blanco E. Arenas-Guzmán R. Hernandez-Castro R. Biofilms and vulvovaginal candidiasis Colloids Surf. B Biointerfaces 2019 174 110 125 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2018.11.011 30447520 · DOI
- [5]Felix T.C. de Brito Röder D.V.D. dos Santos Pedroso R. Alternative and complementary therapies for vulvovaginal candidiasis Folia Microbiol. 2018 64 133 141 10.1007/s12223-018-0652-x 30269301 · DOI
- [6]Gonçalves B. Ferreira C. Alves C.T. Henriques M. Azeredo J. Silva S. Vulvovaginal candidiasis: Epidemiology, microbiology and risk factors Crit. Rev. Microbiol. 2015 42 905 927 10.3109/1040841X.2015.1091805 26690853 · DOI · Paper page
- [7]Mtibaa L. Fakhfakh N. Kallel A. Belhadj S. Salah N.B. Bada N. Kallel K. Les candidoses vulvovaginales: Étiologies, symptômes et facteurs de risque J. Mycol. Med. 2017 27 153 158 10.1016/j.mycmed.2017.01.003 28314677 · DOI
- [8]Ravani L. Esposito E. Bories C. Moal V.L.-L. Loiseau P.M. Djabourov M. Cortesi R. Bouchemal K. Clotrimazole-loaded nanostructured lipid carrier hydrogels: Thermal analysis and in vitro studies Int. J. Pharm. 2013 454 695 702 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2013.06.015 23792467 · DOI
- [9]Sobel J. Current treatment options for vulvovaginal candidiasis Women’s Health 2005 1 253 261 10.2217/17455057.1.2.253 19803842 · DOI
- [10]Azie N. Angulo D. Dehn B. Sobel J.D. Oral Ibrexafungerp: An investigational agent for the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis Expert. Opin. Investig. Drugs 2020 29 893 900 10.1080/13543784.2020.1791820 32746636 · DOI · Paper page
- [11]Mei L. Chen J. Yu S. Huang Y. Xie Y. Wang H. Pan X. Wu C. Expansible thermal gelling foam aerosol for vaginal drug delivery Drug Deliv. 2017 24 1325 1337 10.1080/10717544.2017.1375575 28920714 PMC8241080 · DOI
- [12]Sauna Z.E. Shukla S. Ambudkar S.V. Disulfiram, an old drug with new potential therapeutic uses for human cancers and fungal infections Mol. Biosyst. 2005 1 127 134 10.1039/b504392a 16880974 · DOI
- [14]Prasad R. Nair R. Banerjee A. Multidrug transporters of Candida species in clinical azole resistance Fungal Genet. Biol. 2019 132 103252 10.1016/j.fgb.2019.103252 31302289 · DOI
- [15]Bhattacharya S. Sae-Tia S. Fries B.C. Candidiasis and Mechanisms of Antifungal Resistance Antibiotics 2020 9 312 10.3390/antibiotics9060312 32526921 PMC7345657 · DOI · Paper page
- [16]Pristov K.E. Ghannoum M.A. Resistance of Candida to azoles and echinocandins worldwide Clin. Microbiol. Infect. 2019 25 792 798 10.1016/j.cmi.2019.03.028 30965100 · DOI · Paper page
- [17]Shukla S. Sauna Z.E. Prasad R. Ambudkar S.V. Disulfiram is a potent modulator of multidrug transporter Cdr1p of Candida albicans Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 2004 322 520 525 10.1016/j.bbrc.2004.07.151 15325261 · DOI
- [18]Sanglard D. Ischer F. Monod M. Bille J. Susceptibilities of Candida albicans multidrug transporter mutants to various antifungal agents and other metabolic inhibitors Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 1996 40 2300 2305 10.1128/AAC.40.10.2300 8891134 PMC163524 · DOI
- [19]Lu C. Li X. Ren Y. Zhang X. Disulfiram: A Novel Repurposed Drug for Cancer Therapy Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol. 2021 87 159 172 10.1007/s00280-020-04216-8 33426580 · DOI
- [20]National Center for Biotechnology Information Disulfiram: Chemical and Physical Properties. PubChem Compound Summary CID 3117 Available online: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Disulfiram#section=Chemical-and-Physical-Properties (accessed on 20 March 2023)
- [21]Lajarin-Reinares M. Martinez-Esteve E. Pena-Rodr E. Cañellas-Santos M. Fernandez-Campos F. The Efficacy and Biopharmaceutical Properties of a Fixed-Dose Combination of Disulfiram and Benzyl Benzoate Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022 23 10969 10.3390/ijms231810969 36142878 PMC9502479 · DOI
- [22]Lajarin-Reinares M. Pena-Rodríguez E. Cañellas-Santos M. Rosell-Vives E. Cortés P. Casas M.L. Calvo M.À. Fernandez-Campos F. Repurposing Disulfiram as an Antimicrobial Agent in Topical Infections Antibiotics 2022 11 1752 10.3390/antibiotics11121752 36551409 PMC9774419 · DOI
- [24]Das S. Garg T. Chopra S. Dasgupta A. Repurposing disulfiram to target infections caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria J. Antimicrob. Chemother. 2019 74 1317 1322 10.1093/jac/dkz018 30753528 · DOI
- [25]Sauna Z.E. Peng X.H. Nandigama K. Tekle S. Ambudkar S.V. The Molecular Basis of the Action of Disulfiram as a Modulator of the Multidrug Resistance-Linked ATP Binding Cassette Transporters MDR1 (ABCB1) and MRP1 (ABCC1) Mol. Pharmacol. 2004 65 675 684 10.1124/mol.65.3.675 14978246 · DOI
- [26]Owen D.H. Katz D.F. A vaginal fluid simulant Contraception 1999 59 91 95 10.1016/S0010-7824(99)00010-4 10361623 · DOI
- [27]M27-A3 Reference Method for Broth Dilution Antifungal Susceptibility Testing of Yeasts; Approved Standard-Third Edition. Published online 2008 Available online: www.clsi.org (accessed on 7 September 2022)
- [28]Rex J.H. Cooper C.R. Merz W.G. Galgiani J.N. Anaissie E.J. Detection of amphotericin B-resistant Candida isolates in a broth-based system Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 1995 39 906 909 10.1128/AAC.39.4.906 7785993 PMC162651 · DOI · Paper page
- [29]Villegas I. Rosillo M. Alarcón-De-La-Lastra C. Vázquez-Román V. Llorente M. Sánchez S. Gil A.G. Alcalde P. González E. Rosell E. Amoxicillin and clarithromycin mucoadhesive delivery system for helicobacter pylori infection in a mouse model: Characterization, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy Pharmaceutics 2021 13 153 10.3390/pharmaceutics13020153 33498958 PMC7911155 · DOI
- [30]Geonnotti A.R. Katz D.F. Compartmental transport model of microbicide delivery by an intravaginal ring J. Pharm. Sci. 2010 99 3514 10.1002/jps.22120 20222027 PMC3072789 · DOI
- [31]Friedl H.E. Dünnhaupt S. Waldner C. Bernkop-Schnürch A. Preactivated thiomers for vaginal drug delivery vehicles Biomaterials 2013 34 7811 7818 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2013.06.021 23886732 · DOI
- [32]Park E.K. Song K.W. Rheological evaluation of petroleum jelly as a base material in ointment and cream formulations: Steady shear flow behavior Arch. Pharmacal. Res. 2010 33 141 150 10.1007/s12272-010-2236-4 20191355 · DOI
- [33]Venkatesh M.P. Kumar T.P. Pai D.R. Targeted drug delivery of Methotrexate in situ gels for the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis Saudi Pharm. J. 2020 28 1548 1557 10.1016/j.jsps.2020.10.003 33424248 PMC7783075 · DOI
- [34]Zhang Y. Huo M. Zhou J. Zou A. Li W. Yao C. Xie S. DDSolver: An add-in program for modeling and comparison of drug dissolution profiles AAPS J. 2010 12 263 271 10.1208/s12248-010-9185-1 20373062 PMC2895453 · DOI
- [35]Monica L.L. Jordi G. Francisco F.C. In situ bioadhesive film-forming system for topical delivery of mometasone furoate: Characterization and biopharmaceutical properties J. Drug Deliv. Sci. Technol. 2020 59 101852 10.1016/j.jddst.2020.101852 · DOI
- [36]Pena-Rodríguez E. Lajarin-Reinares M. Mata-Ventosa A. Pérez-Torras S. Fernández-Campos F. Dexamethasone-loaded lipomers: Development, characterization, and skin biodistribution studies Pharmaceutics 2021 13 533 10.3390/pharmaceutics13040533 33920403 PMC8068797 · DOI
- [37]Amores S. Domenech J. Colom H. Calpena A.C. Clares B. Gimeno Á. Lauroba J. An improved cryopreservation method for porcine buccal mucosa in ex vivo drug permeation studies using Franz diffusion cells Eur. J. Pharm. Sci. 2014 60 49 54 10.1016/j.ejps.2014.04.017 24813111 · DOI
- [38]Kaomongkolgit R. Jamdee K. Wongnoi S. Chimnoi N. Techasakul S. Antifungal activity of coronarin D against Candida albicans Oral Surg. Oral Med. Oral Pathol. Oral Radiol. 2012 114 61 66 10.1016/j.oooo.2012.01.010 22727093 · DOI
- [39]Radetsky M. Wheeler R.C. Roe M.H. Todd J.K. Microtiter broth dilution method for yeast susceptibility testing with validation by clinical outcome J. Clin. Microbiol. 1986 24 600 606 10.1128/jcm.24.4.600-606.1986 3771749 PMC268979 · DOI
- [40]Khan S. Singhal S. Mathur T. Upadhyay D.J. Rattan A. Antifungal potential of disulfiram Jpn. J. Med. Mycol. 2007 48 109 113 10.3314/jjmm.48.109 17667894 · DOI
- [41]Hao W. Qiao D. Han Y. Du N. Li X. Fan Y. Ge X. Zhang H. Identification of disulfiram as a potential antifungal drug by screening small molecular libraries J. Infect. Chemother. 2020 27 696 701 10.1016/j.jiac.2020.12.012 33358402 · DOI
- [42]Shaikh R. Raj Singh T. Garland M. Woolfson A. Donnelly R. Mucoadhesive drug delivery systems J. Pharm. Bioallied. Sci. 2011 3 89 100 10.4103/0975-7406.76478 21430958 PMC3053525 · DOI
- [43]Ahuja A. Khar R.K. Ali J. Mucoadhesive Drug Delivery Systems Drug. Dev. Ind. Pharm. 1997 23 489 515 10.3109/03639049709148498 · DOI
- [44]De Souza Ferreira S.B. Da Silva J.B. Volpato Junqueira M. Belincanta Borghi-Pangoni F. Guttierres Gomes R. Luciano Bruschi M. The importance of the relationship between mechanical analyses and rheometry of mucoadhesive thermoresponsive polymeric materials for biomedical applications J. Mech. Behav. Biomed. Mater. 2017 74 142 153 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2017.05.040 28599154 · DOI
- [45]Resins W. POLYOX® Water-Soluble Resins Chem. Eng. News Arch. 1995 73 40 10.1021/cen-v073n036.p040-b · DOI
- [46]Da Silva J.B. de Ferreira S.B.S. Reis A.V. Cook M.T. Bruschi M.L. Assessing Mucoadhesion in Polymer Gels: The Effect of Method Type and Instrument Variables Polymers 2018 10 254 10.3390/polym10030254 30966289 PMC6415125 · DOI
- [47]Vigani B. Rossi S. Gentile M. Sandri G. Bonferoni M.C. Cavalloro V. Martino E. Collina S. Ferrari F. Development of a Mucoadhesive and an in Situ Gelling Formulation Based on κ-Carrageenan for Application on Oral Mucosa and Esophagus Walls. I.I. Loading of a Bioactive Hydroalcoholic Extract Mar. Drugs 2019 17 153 10.3390/md17030153 30841540 PMC6470944 · DOI
- [48]Khazaeli P. Mehrabani M. Mosadegh A. Bios S. Zareshahi R. Hasan Moshafi M. Formulation, Physiochemical, and Microbial Assay of Henna Oil Vaginal Suppository Formulated with Polyethylene Glycol Bases Iran. J. Med. Sci. 2020 45 207 10.30476/IJMS.2019.44965 32546887 PMC7253496 · DOI
- [50]Pacheco-Quito E.M. Ruiz-Caro R. Rubio J. Tamayo A. Veiga M.D. Carrageenan-Based Acyclovir Mucoadhesive Vaginal Tablets for Prevention of Genital Herpes Mar. Drugs 2020 18 249 10.3390/md18050249 32403219 PMC7281190 · DOI
- [51]Elias C.J. Coggins C. Alvarez F. Brache V. Fraser I.S. Lacarra M. Lähteenmäkl P. Massai R. Mishell D.R. Phillips D.M. Colposcopic evaluation of a vaginal gel formulation of iota-carrageenan Contraception 1997 56 387 389 10.1016/S0010-7824(97)00176-5 9494773 · DOI
- [52]Valenta C. Schultz K. Influence of carrageenan on the rheology and skin permeation of microemulsion formulations J. Control. Release 2004 95 257 265 10.1016/j.jconrel.2003.11.020 14980774 · DOI
- [53]Cha D.S. Choi J.H. Chinnan M.S. Park H.J. Antimicrobial Films Based on Na-alginate and κ-carrageenan LWT 2002 35 715 719 10.1006/fstl.2002.0928 · DOI
- [54]Seol K.H. Lim D.G. Jang A. Jo C. Lee M. Antimicrobial effect of κ-carrageenan-based edible film containing ovotransferrin in fresh chicken breast stored at 5 °C Meat Sci. 2009 83 479 483 10.1016/j.meatsci.2009.06.029 20416673 · DOI
- [55]Kim S. Jeong C. Cho S. Kim S.B. Effects of thermal treatment on the physical properties of edible calcium alginate gel beads: Response surface methodological approach Foods 2019 8 578 10.3390/foods8110578 31731744 PMC6915525 · DOI
- [57]Madsen F. Eberth K. Smart J.D. A rheological examination of the mucoadhesive/mucus interaction: The effect of mucoadhesive type and concentration J. Control Release. 1998 50 167 178 10.1016/S0168-3659(97)00138-7 9685883 · DOI
- [58]Gao T. Xie R. Zhang L. Gui H. Huang M. Use of Rubber Process Analyzer for Characterizing the Molecular Weight Parameters of Natural Rubber Int. J. Polym. Sci. 2015 2015 517260 10.1155/2015/517260 · DOI
- [59]Lipinski C.A. Drug-like properties and the causes of poor solubility and poor permeability J. Pharmacol. Toxicol. Methods 2000 44 235 249 10.1016/S1056-8719(00)00107-6 11274893 · DOI
- [60]Mohammed Y. Holmes A. Kwok P.C.L. Kumeria T. Namjoshi S. Imran M. Matteucci L. Ali M. Tai W. Benson H.A. Advances and future perspectives in epithelial drug delivery Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev. 2022 186 1 38 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114293 35483435 · DOI
- [61]Machado R.M. Palmeira-de-Oliveira A. Gaspar C. Martinez-de-Oliveira J. Palmeira-de-Oliveira R. Studies and methodologies on vaginal drug permeation Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev. 2015 92 14 26 10.1016/j.addr.2015.02.003 25689736 · DOI
- [62]Squier C.A. Mantz M.J. Schlievert P.M. Davis C.C. Porcine vagina Ex Vivo as a model for studying permeability and pathogenesis in mucosa J. Pharm. Sci. 2008 97 9 21 10.1002/jps.21077 17721937 · DOI
- [63]Van Eyk A.D. Van Der Bijl P. Porcine vaginal mucosa as an in vitro permeability model for human vaginal mucosa Int. J. Pharm. 2005 305 105 111 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2005.09.002 16226413 · DOI
- Authors
- Lajarin-Reinares, M., Naveira-Souto, I., Mallandrich, M., Suñer-Carbó, J., Llagostera Casas, M., Calvo, M. A., & Fernandez-Campos, F.
- Affiliations
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ES)
- Reig Jofre (Spain) (ES)
- Universitat de Barcelona (ES)
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology and Physical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Campus Microbiology Unit, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- R & D Department, Labiana Pharmaceuticals, 08757 Corbera Llobregat, Spain
- Corresponding author
- Lajarin-Reinares, Maria
- ORCID
- Venue
- Pharmaceutics
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2023-05-08
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1436
- ISSN
- 1999-4923 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC10223105
- OpenAlex
- W4378516872
- Cited by
- 2
- References
- 61
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2
- FWCI
- 0.22
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- dx.doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Pharmaceutics (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Dipòsit Digital de la Universitat de Barcelona (Universitat de Barcelona) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- Generalitat of Catalonia, Industrial Doctorate Program (2020 DI 97)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Pharmaceutical Science › Advanced Drug Delivery Systems
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › Antifungal resistance and susceptibility
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Medicine › Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications
- Keywords
- disulfiram, vaginal candidiasis, mucoadhesive gel, vaginal drug delivery, antifungal activity, Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, Candida glabrata, polyethylene glycol, carrageenan, drug release, drug repurposing
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review