OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of baicalin against Candida glabrata, C. parapsilosis, C. krusei and C. guilliermondii biofilms.

METHOD96-well microtitre plates were used to set up the biofilms; microdilution method was applied to detect minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of baicalin for the four non-albians Candida, and XTT reduction assay was adopted to determine sessile minimal inhibitory concentration (SMIC) of baicalin against the four isolates and to detect the effects on adhesion of the fungal cells.

RESULTMICs of baicalin for the four non-albians Candida cells were 125, 250, 125, 62.5 mg L(-1), respectively. The four non-albians Candida could form mature biofilms on 96-well microtitre plates. SMIC50 of baicalin for the four isolates were > 1000, 500, 125, 250 mg x L(-1), respectively. SMIC80 for the four isolates were greater than or equal to 1000 mg x L(-1). Baicalin showed potent inhibitory effects on adhesion of the four non-albians Candida cells.

CONCLUSIONBaicalin displays substantial inhibitory effects on C. parapsilosis, C. krusei and C. guilliermondii biofilm.

Biofilms ; drug effects ; Candida ; drug effects ; physiology ; Flavonoids ; pharmacology ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of gallic acid against Candida albicans biofilms in vitro.

METHODXTT reduction assay was performed to determine the effect of gallic acid on C. albicans biofilms and its adherence, and microscopic examination was conducted to assess the effect of gallic acid on morphogenesis of C. albicans biofilms; and cytotoxic assay was used to measure the adverse effects of gallic acid.

RESULTSMIC50, SMIC50 of gallic acid against C. albicans biofilms were 500, 1000 mg x L(-1), respectively; 100 mg x L(-1) and 1000 mg x L(-1) of gallic acid could inhibit the initial adherence and filamentous growth, and the agent showed poor cytotoxic activity.

CONCLUSIONgallic acid displayed potent activity against C. albicans biofilm.

Biofilms ; drug effects ; Candida albicans ; cytology ; drug effects ; physiology ; Cell Adhesion ; drug effects ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Gallic Acid ; pharmacology

Candida is an intractable life-threatening pathogen. Candida infection is extremely difficult to eradicate, and thus is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals. Morevover, the rapid spread of drug-resistant fungi has led to significant decreases in the therapeutic effects of clinical drugs. New anti-Candida agents are urgently needed to solve the complicated medical problem. Natural products with intricate structures have attracted great attention of researchers who make every endeavor to discover leading compounds for antifungal agents. Their novel mechanisms and diverse modes of action expand the variety of fungistatic agents and reduce the emergence of drug resistance. In recent decades, considerable effort has been devoted to finding unique antifungal agents from nature and revealing their unusual mechanisms, which results in important progress on the development of new antifungals, such as the novel cell wall inhibitors YW3548 and SCY-078 which are being tested in clinical trials. This review will present a brief summary on the landscape of anti-Candida natural products within the last decade. We will also discuss in-depth the research progress on diverse natural fungistatic agents along with their novel mechanisms.
Antifungal Agents/pharmacology* ; Biological Products/pharmacology* ; Candida/drug effects* ; Candidiasis/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to examine the effect Klorhex and Fittydent, which are used as cleaning agents on the adhesion of Candida on the surfaces of acrylic denture and palatal mucosa. In addition, ability of yeasts to adhere to acrylic strips was evaluated after applying these agents in vitro. MATERIALS and METHODS: Each group of 15 patients cleaned their dentures with either Klorhex or with Fittydent. The control group cleaned their dentures with water. RESULTS: It was found that 62.2% of the patients had colonies of Candida species on their palatal mucosa which was reduced to 51.1% after using these cleaning agents. The colonization rate with Candida spp on their dentures was reduces from 82.2% to 68.8% using these cleaning agents. The mean adhesion value of the Candida strains isolated from the acrylic strips were found to be 75cell/strip prior to applying the Klorhex and Fittydent and 37.5cell/strip and 15cell/strip after applying these agents, respectively. CONCLUSION: These results showed that Klorhex and Fittydent have a certain preventive effect on the colonization rate of Candida spp on the surface of these dentures, the palatal mucosa, as well as on the acrylic strips in vitro.
*Acrylates ; Adhesiveness/drug effects ; Antifungal Agents/*pharmacology ; Candida/*cytology/*drug effects ; Cell Adhesion/drug effects ; Denture Cleansers/*pharmacology ; *Dentures ; Mouth Mucosa/drug effects/microbiology ; Polyvinyls/pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the antimicrobial activities of silver inorganic materials, including silver zeolite (AgZ), silver zirconium phosphate silicate (AgZrPSi) and silver zirconium phosphate (AgZrP), against oral microorganisms. In line with this objective, the morphology and structure of each type of silver based powders were also investigated.

METHODSThe antimicrobial activities of AgZ, AgZrPSi and AgZrP were tested against Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus casei, Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus using disk diffusion assay as a screening test. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum lethal concentration (MLC) were determined using the modified membrane method. Scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction were used to investigate the morphology and structure of these silver materials.

RESULTSAll forms of silver inorganic materials could inhibit the growth of all test microorganisms. The MIC of AgZ, AgZrPSi and AgZrP was 10.0 g/L whereas MLC ranged between 10.0-60.0 g/L. In terms of morphology and structure, AgZrPSi and AgZrP had smaller sized particles (1.5-3.0 µm) and more uniformly shaped than AgZ.

CONCLUSIONSSilver inorganic materials in the form of AgZ, AgZrPSi and AgZrP had antimicrobial effects against all test oral microorganisms and those activities may be influenced by the crystal structure of carriers. These results suggest that these silver materials may be useful metals applied to oral hygiene products to provide antimicrobial activity against oral infection.

Anti-Infective Agents ; pharmacology ; Bacteria ; drug effects ; Candida albicans ; drug effects ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Powders ; pharmacology ; Silver Compounds ; pharmacology

Biofilms are communities of surface-associated bacteria or fungi embedded in a self-produced extracellular polymeric matrix that are notoriously difficult to be eradicated and are sources of many recalcitrant infections. Treatment for biofilm infection with any individual drug is always less effective, while the combinations of different types of drugs are superior to monotherapy concerning the removing of biofilms. This paper focus on research progress in recent years for synergistic effect of drugs in combination against biofilms formed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; pharmacology ; Antifungal Agents ; pharmacology ; Bacteria ; drug effects ; Biofilms ; drug effects ; growth & development ; Candida albicans ; drug effects ; Escherichia coli ; drug effects ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; drug effects ; Staphylococcus aureus ; drug effects ; Staphylococcus epidermidis ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo performance susceptibility testing of antifungal agents. Due to the increasing number of resistant strains, susceptibility testing of antifungal agents is gaining importance.

METHODSWe compared the results of standard macrotube dilution reference method with two different microdilution methods, as well as the disc diffusion method in order to test the susceptibility of 150 Candida strains to fluconazole.

RESULTSOverall correlation between microdilution and macrodilution methods was 86%. It was 91% between the Minimal Inhibitory Concentrations obtained from macrodilution and disc diffusion zone diameters.

CONCLUSIONThe disc diffusion test was evaluated as a low-cost, reproducible, and efficient way of assessing the in vitro susceptibility of Candida strains to fluconazole.

Antifungal Agents ; pharmacology ; Candida ; drug effects ; Diffusion ; Fluconazole ; pharmacology ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; methods

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of andrographolide derivative Yanhuning (YHN) on Candida albicans biofilms in rats.

METHODThe rat C. albicans biofilms subcutaneous catheter model was established by intraperitoneally injecting YHN (40, 20, 10, 5, 2.5 mg x kg (-1)), with the FLC (80 mg x kg(-1)) positive group as the control group. After 7 d, CFU counting and XTT assay were used to evaluate the effect of YHN on C. albicans biofllms in vivo. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was applied to observe the morphological changes in rat biofilms intervened by YHN. The real-time fluorescence quantification PCR was adopted to detect expressions of C. albicans adhesion-related genes, such as ALS1, ALS3, HWP1, EAP1 and MP65.

RESULTThe YHN group showed much less CFUs on catheter pieces and lower XTT metabolic activity than the blank group, with dosage dependence. SEM also showed that YHN could obviously decrease C. albicans adhesion on subcutaneous catheters in rats. According to qRT-PCR's results, YHN can down-regulate expressions of ALS1, ALS3, HWP1, EAP1 and MP65.

CONCLUSIONYHN could inhibit C. albicans biofilms in rats.

Animals ; Biofilms ; drug effects ; growth & development ; Candida albicans ; cytology ; drug effects ; physiology ; Catheters ; microbiology ; Cell Adhesion ; drug effects ; Diterpenes ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Rats

To investigate the effects of butyl alcohol extract of Baitouweng Decoction(BAEB) on neutrophil chemotaxis in vaginal mucosa of mice with vulvovaginal candidiasis(VVC). Seventy-two SPF female Kunming mice were randomly divided into normal control group, model group, fluconazole group, BAEB low-dose group, middle-dose group and high-dose group. Subcutaneous injection of estradiol benzoate was conducted to induce pseudo-estrus, and then 2×10~6 CFU·mL~(-1)of Candida albicans was inoculated into vaginal lumen, followed by drug treatment for 7 days. Gram staining was used to observe the morphological changes of C. albicans in vagina; vaginal fungal load was detected on agar plate. Histological changes of vaginal tissues in mice were observed by HE staining. Lactate dehydrogenase(LDH), interleukin-6(IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor(TNF-α) levels in mouse lavage fluid were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Neutrophils in vaginal lavage fluid was observed and counted by using Pap smear. The levels of IL-8 and MIP-2 in vaginal mucosa were detected by ELISA. IL-8 and MIP-2 mRNA levels in vaginal mucosa of mice were detected by qRT-PCR. The results showed that as compared with the normal group, VVC model group had a large number of hyphae and a high level of fungal loadinvagina. The vaginal mucosa was completely destroyed, the number of neutrophils increased, and the protein and mRNA levels of IL-8 and MIP-2 were up-regulated. After BAEB treatment, the hyphae of the treatment group was decreased, the fungal load was decreased, the impaired mucosa showed different degrees of improvement, the inflammatory factors were decreased to varying degrees, and the protein and mRNA levels of chemokine IL-8 and MIP-2 were down-regulated. In conclusion, BAEB may be used to treat VVC by inhibiting vulvovaginal candidiasis via blocking neutrophils recruitment into vagina.
1-Butanol ; Animals ; Candida albicans ; Candidiasis, Vulvovaginal/drug therapy* ; Chemotaxis/drug effects* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Female ; Mice ; Mucous Membrane/drug effects* ; Neutrophils/drug effects* ; Vagina/diagnostic imaging*

OBJECTIVETo detect the effect of andrographolide on apoptosis of Candida albicans biofilm dispersion cells.

METHODThe morphological changes of apoptotic C. albicans biofilm cells were observed by using Hoechst 33258 staining Fluorescence microscope; changes of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) of C. albicans biofilm cells were detected by rhodamine 123 staining flow cytometry; and reactive oxygen species (ROS) was detected by DHR staining flow cytometry.

RESULT1 000, 100 micromol x L(-1) of andrographolide could cause pyknosis and dense staining of C. albicans biofilm cells, 1 000, 100, 10 micromol x L(-1) of andrographolide could decrease MMP and increase ROS of C. albicans biofilm cells.

CONCLUSIONAndrographolide of appropriate concentrations could induce apoptosis of dispersion cells of C. albicans biofilms.

Antifungal Agents ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Biofilms ; Candida albicans ; drug effects ; physiology ; Diterpenes ; pharmacology ; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial ; drug effects ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism