Influence of glucose supplementation on biofilm formation of Candida albicans and Candida glabrata isolated from diabetic and non-diabetic individuals

Abstract Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is an infection usually caused by Candida albicans and increasingly by Candida glabrata, which has an intrinsically high resistance to commonly used antifungals. Candida species possess virulence factors that contribute to VVC development, as the ability to form biofilms in vaginal walls and intrauterine devices. It is known that VVC is promoted by conditions that increase the hormones levels, during pregnancy, however, the effects of hormones on Candida cells are poorly studied, especially in C. glabrata. Thus, the influence of progesterone and β-estradiol, at normal cycle and pregnancy concentrations, on biofilm formation and resistance of C. albicans and C. glabrata vaginal isolates, was analyzed using acidic conditions (pH 4). Biofilms of C. albicans developed in the presence of hormones presented reduced biomass (up to 65%) and impaired cells ability to produce filamentous forms. On the other hand, C. glabrata presented high adaptation to the presence of hormones, which did not affect its biofilm formation. Additionally, hormones impaired the susceptibility of C. albicans and C. glabrata cells to azoles, with potential clinical significance in the presence of pregnancy hormone levels. A similar result was obtained for the susceptibility to hydrogen peroxide, a biological vaginal barrier against Candida growth. Overall, the results of this study suggest that hormones may act as environmental cues promoting Candida protection from vaginal defenses and harmful conditions, what may have implications in Candida vaginal pathogenicity and treatment of VVC, especially in C. glabrata infections due to its high adaptability to vaginal conditions.

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Environmental pH modulates biofilm formation and matrix composition in Candida albicans and Candida glabrata

Biofouling ◽

10.1080/08927014.2020.1793963 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 36 (5) ◽

pp. 621-630

Author(s):

Bruna Gonçalves ◽

Liliana Fernandes ◽

Mariana Henriques ◽

Sónia Silva

Keyword(s):

Candida Albicans ◽

Biofilm Formation ◽

Candida Glabrata ◽

Matrix Composition

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Activity of Metal-Azole Complexes Against Biofilms of Candida albicans and Candida glabrata

Current Pharmaceutical Design ◽

10.2174/1381612826666200217120321 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (14) ◽

pp. 1524-1531 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Livia D. Pereira ◽

Taissa Vila ◽

Luana P. Borba-Santos ◽

Wanderley de Souza ◽

Maribel Navarro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Candida Albicans ◽

Biofilm Formation ◽

Candida Glabrata ◽

Ex Vivo ◽

Drug Efficacy ◽

Ex Vivo Model ◽

In Vitro Susceptibility ◽

Poor Patient Compliance ◽

Nail Infection

Background: Onychomycosis is a chronic nail infection caused by fungi frequently resistant to antifungal treatments. Recalcitrance in nail infections is a result of reduced antifungal penetration due to biofilm formation, combined with poor patient compliance with the treatment, which can be as long as 18 months. Objective: Metal-drug complexation is a widely used strategy to increase drug efficacy. Therefore, the aim of this work was to evaluate the antifungal and anti-biofilm activity of several metal-azole complexes against Candida albicans and Candida glabrata. Methods: Susceptibility assays and scanning electron microscopy were performed to determine the anti-biofilm activity of eight metal-azole complexes in vitro and ex-vivo, using human nail fragments. Results: In vitro susceptibility assays showed that complexation of both Au(I) and Zn(II) to clotrimazole and ketoconazole improved the anti-biofilm activity compared to the azole alone. Using an ex-vivo model of biofilm formation on fragments of human nails, we also demonstrate the improved efficacy of metal-azole complexes against biofilms of C. albicans and C. glabrata that resembles the onychomycosis structure. Noteworthy, biofilms of C. glabrata were more susceptible to the optimized complexes than those of C. albicans. Conclusion: In conclusion, metal-azole complexes used in this work show promising anti-biofilm activity and further clinical studies should confirm its potential for the treatment of Candida-associated onychomycosis.

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Relative Abundances ofCandida albicansandCandida glabratainIn VitroCoculture Biofilms Impact Biofilm Structure and Formation

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.02769-17 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 84 (8) ◽

pp. e02769-17 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Michelle L. Olson ◽

Arul Jayaraman ◽

Katy C. Kao

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Candida Albicans ◽

Biofilm Formation ◽

Candida Glabrata ◽

Interspecific Interactions ◽

Host Immune System ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Important Species ◽

Content Type ◽

Content Ratio

ABSTRACTCandidais a member of the normal human microbiota and often resides on mucosal surfaces such as the oral cavity or the gastrointestinal tract. In addition to their commensality,Candidaspecies can opportunistically become pathogenic if the host microbiota is disrupted or if the host immune system becomes compromised. An important factor forCandidapathogenesis is its ability to form biofilm communities. The two most medically important species—Candida albicansandCandida glabrata—are often coisolated from infection sites, suggesting the importance ofCandidacoculture biofilms. In this work, we report that biofilm formation of the coculture population depends on the relative ratio of starting cell concentrations ofC. albicansandC. glabrata. When using a starting ratio ofC. albicanstoC. glabrataof 1:3, ∼6.5- and ∼2.5-fold increases in biofilm biomass were observed relative to those of aC. albicansmonoculture and aC. albicans/C. glabrataratio of 1:1, respectively. Confocal microscopy analysis revealed the heterogeneity and complex structures composed of longC. albicanshyphae andC. glabratacell clusters in the coculture biofilms, and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) studies showed increases in the relative expression of theHWP1andALS3adhesion genes in theC. albicans/C. glabrata1:3 biofilm compared to that in theC. albicansmonoculture biofilm. Additionally, only the 1:3C. albicans/C. glabratabiofilm demonstrated an increased resistance to the antifungal drug caspofungin. Overall, the results suggest that interspecific interactions between these two fungal pathogens increase biofilm formation and virulence-related gene expression in a coculture composition-dependent manner.IMPORTANCECandida albicansandCandida glabrataare often coisolated during infection, and the occurrence of coisolation increases with increasing inflammation, suggesting possible synergistic interactions between the twoCandidaspecies in pathogenesis. During the course of an infection, the prevalence of eachCandidaspecies may change over time due to differences in metabolism and in the resistance of each species to antifungal therapies. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the dynamics betweenC. albicansandC. glabratain coculture to develop better therapeutic strategies againstCandidainfections. Existingin vitrowork has focused on understanding how an equal-part culture ofC. albicansandC. glabrataimpacts biofilm formation and pathogenesis. What is not understood, and what is investigated in this work, is how the composition ofCandidaspecies in coculture impacts overall biofilm formation, virulence gene expression, and the therapeutic treatment of biofilms.

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Candida glabrataHas No Enhancing Role in the Pathogenesis ofCandida-Associated Denture Stomatitis in a Rat Model

mSphere ◽

10.1128/msphere.00191-19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Junko Yano ◽

Alika Yu ◽

Paul L. Fidel ◽

Mairi C. Noverr

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Candida Albicans ◽

Rat Model ◽

Tissue Damage ◽

Biofilm Formation ◽

Candida Glabrata ◽

Dimorphic Fungus ◽

Content Type ◽

Denture Stomatitis ◽

Ldh Release

ABSTRACTDenture stomatitis (DS) is a condition characterized by inflammation of the oral mucosa in direct contact with dentures and affects a significant number of otherwise healthy denture wearers.Candida-associated DS is predominantly caused byCandida albicans, a dimorphic fungus that readily colonizes and forms biofilms on denture materials. Previous studies showed a requirement forCandidabiofilm formation on both palate and dentures in infection and identified fungal morphogenic transcription factors, Efg1 and Bcr1, as key players in DS pathogenesis. While bothC. albicansandCandida glabrataare frequently coisolated in mucosal candidiasis, a pathogenic role forC. glabratain DS remains unknown. Using an established rat model of DS, we sought to determine whetherC. glabrataalone or coinoculation withC. albicansestablishes colonization and causes palatal tissue damage and inflammation. Rats fitted with custom dentures were inoculated withC. albicansand/orC. glabrataand monitored over a 4-week period for fungal burden (denture/palate), changes in body weight, and tissue damage via lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release as well as palatal staining by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and immunohistochemistry for myeloperoxidase (MPO) as measures of inflammation.C. glabratacolonized the denture/palate similarly toC. albicans. In contrast toC. albicans, colonization byC. glabrataresulted in minimal changes in body weight, palatal LDH release, and MPO expression. Coinoculation with both species had no obvious modulation ofC. albicans-mediated pathogenic effects. These data suggest thatC. glabratareadily establishes colonization on denture and palate but has no apparent role for inducing/enhancingC. albicanspathogenesis in DS.IMPORTANCEMany denture wearers suffer fromCandida-associated denture stomatitis (DS), a fungal infection of the hard palate in contact with dentures. Biofilm formation byCandida albicanson denture/palate surfaces is considered a central process in the infection onset. AlthoughCandida glabratais frequently coisolated withC. albicans, its role in DS pathogenesis is unknown. We show here, using a contemporary rat model that employed a patented intraoral denture system, thatC. glabrataestablished stable colonization on the denture/palate. However, in contrast toC. albicansinoculated rats, rats inoculated withC. glabrataexhibited minimal changes in weight gain or palatal tissue damage. Likewise, coinoculation with the twoCandidaspecies resulted in no exacerbation ofC. albicans-induced DS pathology. Together, our findings indicate thatC. glabratahas no inducing/enhancing role in DS pathogenesis.

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Study of the activity of Punica granatum-mediated silver nanoparticles against Candida albicans and Candida glabrata, alone or in combination with azoles or polyenes

Medical Mycology ◽

10.1093/mmy/myz094 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 58 (4) ◽

pp. 564-567

Author(s):

José António Santos Souza ◽

Marta M Alves ◽

Debora Barros Barbosa ◽

Maria Manuel Lopes ◽

Eugénia Pinto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Silver Nanoparticles ◽

Candida Albicans ◽

Candida Species ◽

Biofilm Formation ◽

Candida Glabrata ◽

Oral Candidiasis ◽

Punica Granatum ◽

Inhibitory Effect ◽

Green Route ◽

Potent Inhibitory Effect

Abstract The continuous emergence of Candida strains resistant to currently used antifungals demands the development of new alternatives that could reduce the burden of candidiasis. In this work silver nanoparticles synthesized using a green route are efficiently used, alone or in combination with fluconazole, amphotericin B or nystatine, to inhibit growth of C. albicans and C. glabrata oral clinical strains, including in strains showing resistance to fluconazole. A potent inhibitory effect over biofilm formation prompted by the two Candida species was also observed, including in mature biofilm cells. These results foster the use of phytotherapeutics as effective treatments in oral candidiasis.

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