Drug administration by oral delivery is the preferred route, regardless of some remaining challenges, such as short resident time and toxicity issues. One strategy to overcome these barriers is utilizing mucoadhesive vectors that can increase intestinal resident time and systemic uptake. In this study, biomimetic nanoparticles (NPs) were produced from 14 types of edible algae and evaluated for usage as oral DDSs by measuring their size, surface charge, morphology, encapsulation efficiency, mucoadhesion force, and cellular uptake into Caco-2 cells. The NPs composed of algal materials (aNPs) exhibited a spherical morphology with a size range of 126–606 nm and a surface charge of −9 to −38 mV. The mucoadhesive forces tested ex vivo against mice, pigs, and sheep intestines revealed significant variation between algae and animal models. Notably, Arthospira platensis (i.e., Spirulina) NPs (126 ± 2 nm, −38 ± 3 mV) consistently exhibited the highest mucoadhesive forces (up to 3127 ± 272 µN/mm²). Moreover, a correlation was found between high mucoadhesive force and high cellular uptake into Caco-2 cells, further supporting the potential of aNPs by indicating their ability to facilitate drug absorption into the human intestinal epithelium. The results presented herein serve as a proof of concept for the possibility of aNPs as oral drug delivery vehicles.

Amphotericin: B (AmpB)-resistant Candida (C.) species, such as C. parapsilosis, are among the most common causes of invasive fungal infections, posing significant challenges in hospital settings. Although AmpB is considered the first-line treatment owing to its broad-spectrum fungicidal activity, its use is hampered by severe side effects and the emergence of acquired resistance, particularly in C. parapsilosis, which exhibits reduced susceptibility to polyene, azole, and echinocandin-based antifungal drugs. Here, we present findings on photodynamic therapy (PDT) that targets the opportunistic fungal pathogens C. parapsilosis and C. albicans via the use of photosensitizers from the iodocyanine and newly developed iodinated Methylene blue families. These compounds contain heavy iodine atoms that increase the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), the agents responsible for oxidative cellular damage, via the heavy-atom effect, which promotes intersystem crossing (ISC) and triplet-state formation. A strong antifungal effect was observed against AmpB-resistant C. parapsilosis, indicating a correlation between the quantum yield of ROS generation and the photosensitizing efficacy under near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation. The combination of efficient cellular uptake and enhanced ROS generation positions iodinated photosensitizers as promising candidates for the treatment of drug-resistant Candida strains.