In Vitro Evaluation of Nanoemulsions of Curcumin, Piperine and Tualang Honey as Antifungal Agents for Candida Species

Introduction: Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) has received enormous attention, not only due to its negative influences on women’s life but also because of the escalating trend of fungal resistance towards current antifungal drugs. In recent decades, researchers have been focusing on the development of natural products as antifungal agents due to their low side effects compared to standard antifungal drugs. In this study, the antifungal activities of curcumin, piperine, and tualang honey (TH) in single, combination, and combined nanoemulsions were evaluated. Materials and Methods: The nanoemulsions were prepared by dissolving curcumin, piperine and TH in the nanoemulsions base which was prepared by mixing Capryol, Tween 80/Kolliphor RN40 and Transcutol HP. Well diffusion methods were used and the zone of inhibitions were compared to standard drug, fluconazole. Results: The antifungal activity of these natural products alone were low and not all combinations were significant. Moreover, both curcumin and piperine are known to have low bioavailability that might limit its fungicidal efficiency. Hence, nanoemulsions of curcumin, piperine and honey were then developed in this study. The nanoemulsions of three natural compounds have possessed favorable antifungal activity (more than 80%) against the wide range of Candida spp. Particularly, Candida albicans was more susceptible to this nanoemulsions compared to other species tested and some of them were the most resistance to fluconazole. Conclusions: In concise, this study showed evidence in support of the therapeutic use of nanoemulsions of curcumin, piperine and TH in antifungal infections.