Target-site drug delivery systems are gaining interest in the pharmaceutical field due to their great advantages, such as higher drug dosing capacity and better bioavailability. However, some existing problems need to be overcome. As an example, interaction between blood proteins and drug delivery systems. A potent candidate to approach the mentioned problem is based on polyethylene glycol (PEG) surface modifications. This polymer acts as a protector towards the external possible interactions with other compounds, making targeted delivery possible. Diseases such as cancer, diabetes, haemophilia and pain treatment can benefit from these new systems. This review aims to give an overview of drug delivery systems based on PEGylation as surface modification as pharmaceutical approach. Moreover, a deeper insight of the properties of PEG and its advantages is given, as well as brief overview of present therapies based on this technology.

Fungal and microbial infections are increasingly common diseases affecting not only humans, but also animals. Despite the fact that there are wide ranges of antifungal drugs that can be used as therapy against different types of mycosis, the large-scale needed for new antifungal and antimicrobial agents is undeniable. The reasons for a great demand for new agents are low effectiveness due to the development of resistance, host toxicity and various side effects of currently used therapeutics. In order to develop novel drugs against fungal infections, scientists need to search for new molecules that show antimicrobial activity. However, there are various methods to determine antifungal and antimicrobial activity such as diffusion methods, bioautography methods, dilution methods and other frequently used methods. This review aims to explain the methodologies mentioned, to highlight the functioning, usage, advantages and disadvantages and to compare the techniques using different sources of the last years. Additionally, some of the currently investigated natural compounds such as essential oils, which show promising results in the medication of fungal diseases, are mentioned.