Biogenic Iron, Silver and Gold Nanoparticles Against Opportunistic Pathogenic Yeasts and Dermatophytes

Epidemiologic observations indicate that the number of systemic fungal infections has increased significantly during the past decades, however in human mycosis, mainly cutaneous infections predominate, generating major public health concerns and providing much of the impetus for current attempts to develop novel and efficient agents against cutaneous mycosis causing species1. Innovative, environmentally benign and economic nanotechnology-based approaches have recently emerged utilizing principally biological sources to produce nanosized structures with unique antimicrobial properties2. Due to the obvious advantages, the green synthesis of nanoparticles is a rapidly progressing area of the nanobiotechnology. In line with this, the aim of this present study was to investigate the suitability of various green materials such as Parthenocissus quinquefolia plant extract and Phaffia rhodozyma cell-free extract for the preparation of iron nanoparticles (FeNPs), silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) by biological synthesis and to determine the toxicity of nanoparticles to human keratinocyte cells as well as against various fungal species with a special emphasis on antifungal efficiency against dermatophytes.