Abstract
The approaches used for the green biosynthesis of nanoparticles with clinical applications have been widely used in nanotechnology due to their potential to provide safe, eco-friendly, cost effective, high-stability, and high-loading-capacity nanoparticles. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-candidal activity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) biosynthesized using the aqueous leaf extract of Calotropis gigantea (CG) alone or in a combination with the plant extract of CG (AgNPs/CG). AgNPs were characterized using UV-Vis spectrophotometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results of the standard disk diffusion method revealed that AgNPs alone displayed anti-candidal activity (11.33-mm inhibition zone), while AgNPs/CG displayed a strong synergistic anti-candidal activity (17.76-mm inhibition zone). Similarly, AgNPs/CG completely inhibited the growth of C. albicans after 4 h of incubation, as measured using the time-kill assay. In addition, AgNPs/CG inhibited the dimorphic transition of C. albicans and suppressed both the adhesion and the biofilm formation of C. albicans by 41% and 38%, respectively. The treatment of Candida. albicans with AgNPs/CG showed a significant inhibition of the production of several antioxidant enzymes. Interestingly, AgNPs/CG did not show any cytotoxicity in animal cells, including the MCF-7 cell line and primary mouse bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (mBMSCs), at the concentration used to completely inhibit the dimorphic transition of C. albicans. In conclusion, we identified AgNPs/CG as a promising natural-product-based nanoparticle that can potentially be used as an anti-candidal drug.
Highlights
Candida albicans is a member of the human gut flora and is an opportunistic pathogenic yeast [1]
We investigated for the first time the anti-candidal activity of combined green synthesized AgNPs with C. gigantea plant extracts (AgNPs/Calotropis gigantea (CG)) against C. albicans
The results obtained from the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) demonstrated that the biosynthesized AgNPs were spherical in shape and the size was in the range of ≈10–70 nm (Figure 3B)
Summary
Candida albicans is a member of the human gut flora and is an opportunistic pathogenic yeast [1]. C. albicans, together with other species of Candida, such as C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis, and C. glabrata, are responsible for approximately 50–90% of all cases of candidiasis in humans [2]. C. albicans is identified as one of the most common agents responsible for invasive candidiasis and its infection causes a mortality rate of 40% for patients with systemic candidiasis. C. albicans can be found in the oral cavity of 75% of the population. In immunocompromised individuals, it can cause recalcitrant infections of the oral cavity termed oral candidiasis. 75% of all women suffer at least once in their lifetime from vulvovaginal candidiasis, with 40%–50% experiencing at least one additional episode of infection [4]
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