A Hydroxypropyl Chitosan (HPCH) Based Medical Device Prevents Fungal Infections: Evidences from an In Vitro Human Nail Model

Abstract

A long lasting, protective and film forming HPCH-based medical device was developed and tested in a novel human nail infection model. HPCH-treated and untreated human distal fingernail fragments were disposed on the culture surface of or . After incubation for one or three weeks, the fragments were collected and histological analysis was performed. Results obtained in untreated nails evidenced, as expected, that the fungal invasion was different depending on the species: it was completed with spp., partial with sp. and limited to the surface with sp.. On the other hand, HPCH-treated nails were not invaded by fungal elements, neither dermatophytes nor moulds or yeasts. Besides showing the barrier effect of HPCH this paper describes a novel model of nail infection that is simple, reproducible and closely represents the human situation.