Abstract
BackgroundPhotodynamic therapy (PDT) has been found to be effective in inhibiting biofilm producing organisms. We investigated the photodynamic effect of gold nanoparticle (GNP) conjugated photosensitizers against Candida albicans biofilm. We also examined the photodynamic efficacy of photosensitizer (PS) conjugated GNPs (GNP-PS) to treat skin and oral C. albicans infection in BALB/c mice.MethodsThe biomimetically synthesized GNPs were conjugated to photosensitizers viz. methylene blue (MB) or toluidine blue O (TB). The conjugation of PSs with GNPs was characterized by spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The efficacy of gold nanoparticle conjugates against C. albicans biofilm was demonstrated by XTT assay and microscopic studies. The therapeutic efficacy of the combination of the GNP conjugates against cutaneous C. albicans infection was examined in mouse model by enumerating residual fungal burden and histopathological studies.ResultsThe GNP-PS conjugate based PDT was found to effectively kill both C. albicans planktonic cells and biofilm populating hyphal forms. The mixture of GNPs conjugated to two different PSs significantly depleted the hyphal C. albicans burden against superficial skin and oral C. albicans infection in mice.ConclusionThe GNP-PS conjugate combination exhibits synergism in photodynamic inactivation of C. albicans. The GNP conjugate based PDT can be employed effectively in treatment of cutaneous C. albicans infections in model animals. The antibiofilm potential of PDT therapy can also be exploited in depletion of C. albicans on medical appliances such as implants and catheters etc.
Highlights
While various species of genus Candida often dwell as commensals in healthy individuals, they produce a gamut of serious infections in the immuno-compromised hosts [1,2,3,4]
The mixture of gold nanoparticle (GNP) conjugated to two different PSs significantly depleted the hyphal C. albicans burden against superficial skin and oral C. albicans infection in mice
The treatment studies showed that GNP-methylene blue (MB) and GNP-toluidine blue O (TB) combination can markedly reduce fungal burden in topical skin wounds and tongues infected with C. albicans in BALB/c mice
Summary
While various species of genus Candida often dwell as commensals in healthy individuals, they produce a gamut of serious infections in the immuno-compromised hosts [1,2,3,4]. It has been observed that in superficial fungal infections, hyphal filaments penetrate the underlying tissues and help pathogen establishment in the host [6]. Tackling issues pertaining to treatment of less susceptible pathogenic isolates living in biofilm niche, demand development of alternative treatment modalities that should be effective against microbial biofilms. In this regard, the emerging photodynamic therapy based inactivation of microorganisms offers a potential strategy that holds promises for the treatment of microbial infections in general and fungal infections in particular. We investigated the photodynamic effect of gold nanoparticle (GNP) conjugated photosensitizers against Candida albicans biofilm. We examined the photodynamic efficacy of photosensitizer (PS) conjugated GNPs (GNP-PS) to treat skin and oral C. albicans infection in BALB/c mice.
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