Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activity of Chitosan on the Oral Pathogen Candida albicans
Universidade Católica Portuguesa/Porto, Rua Arquiteto Lobão Vital, Apartado 2511, 4202-401 Porto, Portugal
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These authors contributed equally to this work.
Pathogens 2014, 3(4), 908-919; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens3040908
Received: 26 September 2014
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Revised: 3 December 2014
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Accepted: 4 December 2014
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Published: 11 December 2014
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilm-Based Nosocomial Infections)
Oral candidiasis is particularly evident, not only in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, but also in elderly people with xerostomy. In general, Candida is an opportunistic pathogen, causing infections in immunocompromised people and, in some cases, when the natural microbiota is altered. Chitosan, a natural derivative of chitin, is a polysaccharide that has been proven to possess a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity that encompasses action against fungi, yeast and bacteria. While recent studies have revealed a significant antibiofilm activity upon several microorganisms, including C. albicans, little is known regarding the impact of chitosan upon the adhesive process or mature biofilms. With that in mind, the purpose of this work was to evaluate, in vitro, the capability of chitosan to inhibit C. albicans growth and biofilm formation. The results obtained showed that chitosan is capable of inhibiting C. albicans planktonic growth (HMW, 1 mg/mL; LMW, 3 mg/mL). Regarding biofilm growth, chitosan inhibited C. albicans adhesion (ca. 95%), biofilm formation (percentages above 90%) and reduced mature biofilms by ca. 65% and dual species biofilms (C. albicans and S. mutans) by ca. 70%. These results display the potential of this molecule to be used as an effective anti-Candida agent capable of acting upon C. albicans infections.
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Keywords:
candidiasis; Candida albicans; chitosan; biofilm; antibiofilm
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MDPI and ACS Style
Costa, E.; Silva, S.; Tavaria, F.; Pintado, M. Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activity of Chitosan on the Oral Pathogen Candida albicans. Pathogens 2014, 3, 908-919. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens3040908
AMA Style
Costa E, Silva S, Tavaria F, Pintado M. Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activity of Chitosan on the Oral Pathogen Candida albicans. Pathogens. 2014; 3(4):908-919. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens3040908
Chicago/Turabian StyleCosta, Eduardo, Sara Silva, Freni Tavaria, and Manuela Pintado. 2014. "Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activity of Chitosan on the Oral Pathogen Candida albicans" Pathogens 3, no. 4: 908-919. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens3040908
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