Drug-loaded mesoporous carbon with sustained drug release capacity and enhanced antifungal activity to treat fungal keratitis

Fungal keratitis is a severe infectious corneal disease with a high rate of incidence and blindness. Since traditional treatments natamycin (NATA) eye drops, exhibit poor dissolution and bioavailability, and the efficacy of current therapeutic approaches remains limited. In this study, we innovatively utilized mesoporous carbon (Meso-C) and microporous carbon (Micro-C) as nanocarriers loaded with the antifungal drug NATA and silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs). Porous carbon loaded with NATA and Ag-NPs has not previously been studied in fungal keratitis. Due to the mesoporous structure, high surface area and larger pore volume of Meso-C, it displayed greater superiority in sustained drug release and drug dispersity than Micro-C. Moreover, Meso-C could adsorb inflammatory cytokines during fungal infection. In vitro, Meso-C/NATA/Ag showed excellent antifungal effects. In vivo, compared with pure NATA treatment, Meso-C/NATA/Ag exhibited significantly improved therapeutic effects and reduced dosing frequency when treating fungal keratitis. Our study is the first to report the sustained drug release and improved drug dispersity of Meso-C/NATA and demonstrates that NATA and Ag-NPs-loaded Meso-C has therapeutic effects against fungal keratitis.