Anticandidal activity of bioinspired ZnO NPs: effect on growth, cell morphology and key virulence attributes of Candida species.

In this study for the first time, potent inhibitory effects of ZnO NPs on principal virulence factors of Candida albicans and non-albicans such as germ tube formation, secretion of hydrolytic phospholipases and proteinases and biofilm formation has been investigated. ZnO NPs remarkably reduced the germ tube formation of C. albicans at 1 (86.4%), 0.5 (75.0%), 0.25 (61.4%), 0.125 (34.1%) and 0.062 mg/ml (11.4%). ZnO NPs significantly lowered the phospholipase and proteinase secretion by 58.8 and 95.2% at 0.25 mg/ml, respectively. CSLM results showed that ZnO NPs suppressed biofilm formation up to 85% at 0.25 mg/ml. SEM and TEM micrograph showed that ZnO NPs penetrated inside the cell and causes extensive damaged in cell wall and cell membrane. Inhibition of Candida growth and various virulent factors by ZnO NPs provides an insight towards their therapeutic application for the treatment of Candida-associated infections. PMID: 29446992 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine and Biotechnology - Category: Biotechnology Tags: Artif Cells Nanomed Biotechnol Source Type: research