Dual-Drug Nanofiber Patch Shows Preclinical Promise Against Oral Candidiasis
Published in Drugs development & discovery, Journals, Nanomedicine.
A research article published in the International Journal of Nanomedicine on October 2, 2026 describes a nanofiber patch carrying miconazole and lidocaine for localized delivery to the oral mucosa.
Alzahrani and colleagues fabricated electrospun polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) fibers and evaluated drug loading, release, antifungal activity, cytotoxicity and performance in a mouse model of oral candidiasis. The reported release pattern was faster for lidocaine and slower for miconazole.
In the mouse model, the dual-drug fibers reduced fungal burden and improved tongue lesion scores compared with miconazole-only fibers and a commercial miconazole formulation. The authors also assessed cell toxicity under specified laboratory conditions.
These are preclinical findings. They do not establish safety or effectiveness in people, and laboratory cytotoxicity measurements do not substitute for human safety studies. Further work would be needed before clinical use.
Editorial perspective: localized nanofiber delivery could offer a way to combine antifungal treatment with an anesthetic while controlling drug release.
Source: Alzahrani DA et al., Electrospun PVP Nanofibrous Co-Loaded with Miconazole and Lidocaine for the Treatment of Oral Candidiasis, published October 2, 2026.