The platform was created using electrospinning, a technique in which a polymer solution is subjected to a high electric field and drawn into continuous fibers that collect as a soft, porous mat. The researchers, led by Divya Mathew, Benny Thomas, Sudheep Nagamangalam and Radhakrishnan Edayileveettil Krishnankutty, systematically optimized the polymer concentration, the amount of drug loaded into the spinning solution, and the electrospinning parameters themselves. The goal was to produce fibers that were uniform and free of the bead-like defects that plague poorly tuned electrospinning. Their optimized mats consisted of bead-free poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofibers with an average diameter of roughly 250 nanometers, fine enough to create an enormous surface area for contact with infected tissue while remaining robust enough to handle.

One of the most striking numbers in the study is the entrapment efficiency: the fibers captured 88.6 percent of the amphotericin B, give or take about two percent. That matters because amphotericin B is both expensive and toxic, and any drug that leaks out or fails to incorporate into the carrier is wasted payload that could cause collateral damage. To understand how the drug was held within the polymer, the team turned to Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, which revealed molecular-level interactions between amphotericin B and the poly(vinyl alcohol) matrix through hydrogen bonding. Transmission Electron Microscopy confirmed that the drug was dispersed homogeneously throughout the fiber network rather than clumped into crystals, a detail that helps explain the smooth, predictable release behavior that followed.

The physical character of the mats proved equally important to their function. The optimized fibers showed improved mechanical strength, a moderate hydrophilicity reflected in a water contact angle of about 50 degrees, and an excellent balance between swelling and moisture retention. In practical terms, when the mat is placed on moist skin or mucosal tissue, it hydrates gradually without dissolving too quickly or drying out, maintaining the conditions needed for controlled drug diffusion over an extended period. The researchers also tracked how the material degrades, finding a gradual weight loss of 28.6 percent after fourteen days. That slow biodegradation profile means the mat remains structurally functional throughout the treatment window rather than falling apart prematurely.

To quantify how the drug escapes the matrix, the team fitted their release data to established mathematical models of drug diffusion. The kinetics matched the Korsmeyer–Peppas and Peppas–Sahlin models best, with coefficients of determination above 0.98. This fit pointed to a non-Fickian diffusion mechanism, meaning drug release is governed not simply by molecular diffusion through the polymer but by a combination of diffusion and the relaxation of the polymer chains themselves as they swell. For a topical delivery system, that coupling is advantageous: it smooths out the release profile, avoiding the sharp burst of drug that can irritate tissue and instead providing the sustained exposure needed to suppress fungal regrowth between applications.

Safety was assessed with a battery of cytocompatibility and blood-contacting assays. Three different human cell lines—normal human dermal fibroblasts, keratinocytes of the HaCaT line, and HEK 293 cells—all maintained viability above 80 percent when exposed to the material, and hemolysis testing showed red blood cell rupture remained below five percent. Those thresholds are meaningful benchmarks in biomaterials research, suggesting the mats would not damage the skin cells they are meant to protect nor harm blood components if used on wound beds. For a drug as harsh as amphotericin B, whose systemic use is shadowed by nephrotoxicity, confining it to a local, well-tolerated depot is a strategy aimed squarely at keeping the drug’s benefits while leaving its systemic toxicity behind.

The antifungal performance was tested against three clinically relevant organisms: Candida albicans, the yeast responsible for most mucocutaneous candidiasis, and two filamentous fungi, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus. The mats produced sustained yet potent inhibition of all three. Just as importantly, the researchers evaluated activity against biofilms—the organized microbial communities encased in a protective extracellular matrix that make infections on catheters, wounds, and mucosal surfaces so difficult to eradicate. Biofilm cells are famously tolerant of antifungals that readily kill their free-floating planktonic counterparts. The amphotericin B-loaded mats cut the metabolic activity and biomass of fungal biofilms by roughly 60 percent compared with untreated controls, a substantial reduction that suggests the platform could help break the cycle of persistent, treatment-resistant surface infections.

The broader significance of the work lies in how it reframes an old drug for a persistent clinical problem. Amphotericin B has been in use for some sixty years, and while lipid formulations such as AmBisome have reduced its toxicity for systemic treatment, options for localized delivery to skin, mucosa, and wounds remain limited. Nanofiber mats offer a distinctive combination of properties for that niche: they conform to irregular surfaces, their porosity supports moisture balance, and their structure can be tuned to control release kinetics. Because poly(vinyl alcohol) is water-soluble, biocompatible, and already familiar in biomedical applications such as wound dressings, the barrier to translating the platform is arguably lower than for more exotic carrier chemistries.

The authors suggest the system is a promising localized antifungal delivery strategy for mucocutaneous and wound-associated infections, offering prolonged drug release, enhanced biocompatibility, and reduced toxicity in a single material. Much work remains before such a mat could reach patients—scale-up of electrospinning, in vivo efficacy studies, and regulatory evaluation all lie ahead. But the study demonstrates, with careful characterization at every step, that a humble polymer spun into nanofibers can tame one of medicine’s most toxic antifungals and turn it into a steady, localized weapon against the fungi and biofilms that resist conventional treatment. In an era of rising antifungal resistance, giving established drugs new delivery formats may be one of the most practical paths forward.

Subject of Research: Electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofiber mats for sustained topical delivery of amphotericin B with enhanced antifungal and antibiofilm efficacy

Article Title: Electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofiber mats as a biocompatible platform for sustained topical delivery of Amphotericin B with enhanced antifungal and antibiofilm efficacy

Article References: Mathew, D., Thomas, B., Nagamangalam, S., & Krishnankutty, R. E. (2026). Electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofiber mats as a biocompatible platform for sustained topical delivery of Amphotericin B with enhanced antifungal and antibiofilm efficacy. Polymer Bulletin, 83(11), Article 638. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-026-06681-2

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s00289-026-06681-2

Keywords: Amphotericin B, poly(vinyl alcohol), electrospun nanofibers, sustained drug release, antifungal, antibiofilm, Candida albicans, Aspergillus, biocompatibility, drug delivery, wound infections, Korsmeyer–Peppas