ABSTRACT
The increasing incidence of antifungal resistance represents a great challenge in the medical area and, for this reason, new therapeutic alternatives for the treatment of fungal infections are urgently required. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has been proposed as a promising alternative technique for the treatment of superficial candidiasis, with inhibitory effect both in vitro and in vivo. However, little is known on the association of CAP with conventional antifungals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the association between CAP and conventional polyene antifungals on Candida albicans biofilms. C. albicans SC 5314 and a clinical isolate were used to grow 24 or 48 h biofilms, under standardized conditions. After that, the biofilms were exposed to nystatin, amphotericin B and CAP, separately or in combination. Different concentrations of the antifungals and sequences of treatment were evaluated to establish the most effective protocol. Biofilms viability after the treatments was compared to negative control. Data were compared by One-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey (5%). The results demonstrate that 5 min exposure to CAP showed more effective antifungal effect on biofilms when compared to nystatin and amphotericin B. Additionally, it was detected that CAP showed similar (but smaller in magnitude) effects when applied in association with nystatin and amphotericin B at 40 µg/mL and 60 µg/mL. Therefore, it can be concluded that the application of CAP alone was more effective against C. albicans biofilms than in combination with conventional polyene antifungal agents.
Subject(s)
Amphotericin B/pharmacology , Antifungal Agents/pharmacology , Biofilms/drug effects , Candida albicans/drug effects , Drug Synergism , Nystatin/pharmacology , Plasma Gases/pharmacology , Biofilms/growth & development , Candida albicans/growth & developmentABSTRACT
A crescente incidência da resistência às drogas antifúngicas tornou-se um grande desafio para áreas médica e odontológica, fazendo com que a busca por métodos de tratamento alternativos ou em combinação com as já utilizadas sejam urgentemente necessárias. O objetivo deste projeto foi avaliar os efeitos da associação entre o plasma frio em pressão atmosférica e antifúngicos poliênicos convencionais utilizados no tratamento tópico da candidose bucal. Para tanto, foram realizados: a) Determinação das concentrações inibitórias dos antifúngicos poliênicos nistatina e anfotericina B e do plasma frio em pressão atmosférica sobre biofilmes de C. albicans; b) Avaliação do efeito dos tratamentos isolados e associados em condições/concentrações sub-inibitórias para fins de comparação e c) Avaliação dos diferentes protocolos de aplicação dos tratamentos, visando a obtenção da condição experimental mais eficaz para o controle do biofilme fúngico. Os dados de unidades formadoras de colônia foram comparados estatisticamente entre os grupos por One-way ANOVA e post hoc Tukey, com nível de significância de 5%. A partir dos resultados obtidos, pode-se concluir que o jato de plasma apresentou efeito antifúngico similar quando aplicado isoladamente ou em associação com nistatina e anfotericina B. Ainda, foi possível concluir que o jato de plasma frio apresenta efeito antifúngico mais eficaz do que os tratamentos dos biofilmes utilizando nistatina e anfotericina B no tempo de 5 minutos(AU)
The increasing incidence of antifungal resistance represents a great challenge in the medical areas and Dentistry. For this reason, the search for alternative methods or combination with the conventional ones is urgently necessary. The aim of this project is to evaluate, the effects of association between atmospheric pressure cold plasma and conventional polyene antifungals used for the treatment of oral candidiasis will be studied. With this purpose, the following methodologies were be used: a) To determine the inhibitory concentrations of the polyene antifungals nystatin and amphotericin B and cold plasma on C. albicans biofilms, b) To evaluate the combination of treatments in subinhibitory conditions, including isolated treatments for comparison purposes and c) To evaluate different protocols of treatment application, aiming to obtain the most effective protocol against fungal biofilm. Data was compared by One-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey, with a significance level of 5%. Considering the results, it could be concluded that cold plasma showed similar effects when applied alone or in association to nystatin and amphotericin B. Cold plasma showed more effective antifungal effect on biofilms when compared to nystatin and amphotericin B, after 5 min exposure(AU)
