Nitric Oxide Patch for Subungual Fungal Infections
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for onychomycosis, a fungal infection of the nails, are limited by low cure rates and long treatment durations with topical medications, and oral therapies come with safety concerns such as liver toxicity and skin reactions.
Innovation Solution
A nitrogen oxide generating composition that penetrates the nail to treat subungual infections, utilizing nitric oxide (NO) produced by reacting nitrite with an acid, which has antimicrobial and wound healing effects, is developed to provide effective treatment with reduced safety concerns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If oral therapies (terbinafine and itraconazole) are used to treat onychomycosis, then cure rates improve to approximately 70% and treatment period shortens to 12-16 weeks, but safety concerns arise including liver toxicity, severe skin reactions, and drug interactions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an occlusive patch as an intermediary delivery system that generates nitrogen oxides locally at the nail site. This mediator enables high cure rates through direct local action while avoiding systemic circulation and associated safety risks of oral therapies
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the chemical state and delivery parameters by using nitrogen oxide gas generation from nitrite-acid reactions within the patch. This parameter change allows achieving effective antifungal concentrations locally without the systemic exposure problems of oral medications
2Object-affected harmful factors
If topical medications are used to treat onychomycosis, then safety concerns are reduced, but cure rates remain low and treatment duration extends to up to a year or longer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent exploits phase transitions by generating nitrogen oxide gas from solid nitrite and liquid acid components within the occlusive patch. This gas phase transition enables deep penetration through the nail plate to reach subungual infections, achieving both safety of topical application and efficacy comparable to oral therapies
Solution Approach 2:
The occlusive patch provides sustained periodic release of nitrogen oxides over several hours, maintaining effective antifungal concentrations without the need for frequent reapplication, thus improving treatment efficiency while preserving safety
3Ease of operation
If the nail is removed to expose infectious organisms for treatment, then access to the infection improves, but too much nail removal is undesirable and causes additional harm
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical nail removal with chemical action by using nitrogen oxide gas to penetrate and treat the infection in situ. This substitution eliminates the need for physical trauma to the nail while achieving the same therapeutic goal of accessing and treating subungual fungi
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composition achieves high cure rates similar to oral therapies while minimizing safety risks, with NO effectively penetrating the nail to target fungal infections, offering a prolonged antifungal effect that continues for several hours.
Implementation Method 1
nitrogen oxides are capable of penetrating the nail and are effective in the treatment of the causative organisms of subungual infections
Implementation Method 2
Nitric oxide (NO) is a major product of the compositions of the invention, and is well known to have antimicrobial and wound healing effects
Implementation Method 3
utilizing nitric oxide (NO) produced by reacting nitrite with an acid
Data Source
AI summary
Nitrogen oxide generating compositions are useful in the treatment of subungual infections, as NO has surprisingly been found to be able to penetrate the nail to exert an anti-fungal effect.