[Antifungal Activity of Luliconazole Nail Solution on in vitro and in vivo Onychomycosis Model].

We evaluated luliconazole nail solution, originally generated formulation, for the topical treatment of onychomycosis by two infection models. First, a suspension of Trichophyton mentagrophytes was dropped onto the ventral layer of human nail plate and these nails were set in Franz diffusion cells. After 9-day culture, luliconazole nail solutions (1, 3, and 5%) were applied to the dorsal surface of the nails once a day for 7 days. After application, fungal viability was assessed by measuring the ATP contents of the samples. The dose-dependent efficacy was confirmed, with 3% and 5% luliconazole nail solutions producing significantly lower ATP levels at 7-day treatment. When 3% and 5% luliconazole nail solutions were evaluated in a rabbit model of onychomycosis, both concentrations completely inhibited the recovery of fungi on culture after 4-week treatment. We therefore think these results indicate that 5% luliconazole nail solution is sufficiently potent for treatment of onychomycosis.