Effect of five plant extracts on adhesion of Candida albicans onto human buccal epithelial cells: an in-vitro study

Abstract

Background There is increased prevalence of both fluconazole-resistant Candida albicans and non-albicans Candida spp. isolated from oral candidiasis (OC) lesions. OC is the most common oral lesion, encountered in HIV infection. On the basis of this, the antiadherence approach to treat or prevent oropharyngeal candidiasis was studied using plant extracts. Aim The present study aimed to perform preliminary screening of five plant extracts, namely, aloe vera, Singapore cherries, tea tree, neem, and lemon grass, for their effect on adhesion of C. albicans to human buccal epithelial cells (HBEC) in an in-vitro condition. Materials and methods A set of 5 and 10 g of plant material, leading to a final concentration of 10 and 20%, respectively, was used. Both aqueous and ethanol extracts were tested. Both C. albicans and HBEC were treated with plant extracts under different in-vitro conditions. An adhesion assay was carried out under an in-vitro condition. C. albicans, RL-24 and RL-112, isolated from OC lesions in HIV-seropositive individuals were analyzed for adhesion. The adhesion pattern of C. albicans to HBEC under test conditions was compared with the adhesion pattern observed under the control condition. The variation in adhesion was recorded. Statistical analysis Statistical analysis was carried out by two-way analysis of variance using IBM SPSS-version 20. Results Both aqueous and ethanol extracts of neem. followed by lemon grass were found to consistently inhibit adhesion, which was statistically significant. Conclusion This preliminary work has shown a trend that different plant extracts could efficiently inhibit the adherence of C. albicans to HBEC and can be explored for an antiadherence therapeutic approach. Development of antiadherent agents using plant extracts seems to be a promising approach in the treatment of OC.