Evaluation of Antimicrobial Activity of Gold Nanoparticles Against Candida Albicans Isolated from Children with Early Childhood Caries
Keywords:
AuNPs, CHX, ECC, C. albicans, Antimicrobial ActivityAbstract
Candida albicans is an opportunistic oral pathogenic fungi and effector in the etiology of early childhood caries (ECC). Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) development has led to a search for potential alternative antimicrobial agents, such as gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Objectives: The aim of this study performed a comparative evaluation of antifungal activity of AuNPs against C. albicans isolated from children with ECC and a (0.2% chlorhexidine (CHX)). Methods: Oral samples were obtained from 10 children with ECC aged 4-6 years. Samples were cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar (with 2 g/L chloramphenicol) and incubated at 37°C for 48 h, with C. albicans identification based on colony morphology, Gram staining, germ tube formation and analytical profile index (API) Candida system biochemical identification. The agar well diffusion method was performed to Test the antifungal activity of AuNPs with concentrations of 0.195 to100 ppm. Positive control was 0.2% CHX solution and negative control was deionized water. Results: AuNPs exhibited a concentration-dependent antifungal activity towards C. albicans. The maximum one was found out at 100 ppm (23.3 ± 0.06 mm) followed by 50 ppm (20.3 ± 0.06 mm) and 25 ppm (18.7 ± 0.06 mm). With the decrease in AuNP concentration, the inhibition zone gradually declined, which reached 5.7 ± 0.06 mm at concentration of 0.391 ppm. There was no inhibition at 0.195 ppm or deionized water. The inhibition zone of 19.3 ± 0.06 mm was produced by CHX. Conclusions: AuNPs exerted strong antifungal activity against oral C. albicans isolated from children with ECC in a dose-dependent manner. At higher concentrations, they had an antimicrobial activity exceeding that observed with 0.2% of CHX.
References
Nobile CJ, Johnson AD. Candida albicans biofilms and human disease. Annu Rev Microbiol. 2015;69:71–92. doi:10.1146/annurev-micro-091014-104330.
Xiao J, Huang X, Alkhers N, Alzamil H, Alzoubi S, Wu T, et al. Candida albicans and early childhood caries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Caries Res. 2018;52:102–112. doi:10.1159/000481833.
Kakoschke SC, Fleschutz S, Ruff E, Dichtl K, Groeger M, Schoen C, et al. Pediatric Candida manifestations in the orofacial region: a retrospective analysis of different forms, risk factors and species distribution. J Fungi (Basel). 2025;11(5):363. doi:10.3390/jof11050363.
Hellstein J.W., Marek C.L. Candidiasis: Red and White Manifestations in the Oral Cavity. Head. Neck Pathol. 2019;13:25–32. doi: 10.1007/s12105-019-01004-6. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Diaz PI, Dongari-Bagtzoglou A. Critically appraising the significance of the oral mycobiome. J Dent Res. 2021;100:133-140. doi:10.1177/0022034520956975.
Menon LU, Scoffield JA, Jackson JG, Zhang P. Candida albicans and early childhood caries. Front Dent Med. 2022;3:849274. doi:10.3389/fdmed.2022.849274.
Pereira D, Seneviratne CJ, Koga-Ito CY, Samaranayake LP. Is the oral fungal pathogen Candida albicans a cariogen? Oral Dis. 2018;24:518-526. doi:10.1111/odi.12691.
Fakhruddin KS, Perera Samaranayake L, Egusa H, Ngo HC, Pesee S. Profuse diversity and acidogenicity of the Candida-biome of deep carious lesions of severe early childhood caries (S-ECC). J Oral Microbiol. 2021;13:1964277. doi:10.1080/20002297.2021.1964277.
Jean J, Goldberg S, Khare R, Bailey LC, Forrest CB, Hajishengallis E, et al. Retrospective analysis of Candida-related conditions in infancy and early childhood caries. Pediatr Dent. 2018;40:131-135.
Erum R, Samad F, Khan A, Kazmi SU. A comparative study on production of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes of Candida species isolated from patients with surgical site infection and from healthy individuals and their co-relation with antifungal drug resistance. BMC Microbiol. 2020 Dec 3;20(1):368. doi: 10.1186/s12866-020-02045-6
Judan Cruz KG, Alfonso ED, Fernando SI, Watanabe K. Candida albicans biofilm inhibition by ethnobotanicals and ethnobotanically synthesized gold nanoparticles. Front Microbiol. 2021;12:665113
Rahimi, H., Roudbarmohammadi, S., Delavari H, H., & Roudbary, M. (2019). Antifungal effects of indolicidin-conjugated gold nanoparticles against fluconazole-resistant strains of Candida albicans isolated from patients with burn infection. International Journal of Nanomedicine, 14, 5323–5338. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S207527
Jain N, Varma RB, Kumar JS, Kumaran P, Xavier AM. Antimicrobial activity of chlorhexidine on Candida albicans and Streptococcus mutans isolated in children with early childhood caries – An in vitro study. J Appl Pharm Sci, 2023; 13(02):113–116.
14. Baveja C. Text Book of Microbiology for Dental Students‖:3rd edition. Arya Publications Delhi India.2010.
Thein, Z.M., Samaranayake, Y.H. and Samaranayake, L.P., 2007. Characteristics of dual species Candida biofilms on denture acrylic surfaces. Archives of oral biology, 52(12), pp.1200-1208.
Williams, D.W. and Lewis, M.A.O., 2000. Oral Microbiology: Isolation and identification of candida from the oral cavity. Oral diseases, 6(1), pp.3-11.
Marler, L.M., Siders, J.A. and Allen, S.D., 2001. Direct smear atlas: a monograph of gram-stained preparations of clinical specimens. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Forbes, B.A., Sahm, D.F., Weissfeld, A.S. and Bailey, S.S., 2007. Diagnostic microbiology 12th Edition: Mosby Elsevier, St. Louis, MO, pp.778-781.
Al-Fahham BM, Mohamed RA, Al-Talqani JMT, Fahad AH, Haider J. Evaluating Antimicrobial Effectiveness of Gold Nanoparticles against Streptococcus oralis. Int J Dent. 2023 Sep 20;2023:9935556. doi: 10.1155/2023/9935556.
Kareem HA, Samaka HM, Abdulridha WM. Evaluation of the effect of the gold nanoparticles prepared by green chemistry on the treatment of cutaneous candidiasis. Curr Med Mycol. 2021 Mar;7(1):1-5. doi: 10.18502/cmm.7.1.6176.
Sreenivasan PK, Gaffar A. Antimicrobial efficacy of two mouthrinses against Candida albicans: an in vitro study. J Indian Soc Periodontol. 2019;23(3):267-271.
Paulone S, Malavasi G, Ardizzoni A, Orsi CF, Peppoloni S, Neglia RG, Blasi E. Candida albicans survival, growth and biofilm formation are differently affected by mouthwashes: an in vitro study. New Microbiol. 2017 Jan;40(1):45-52.
Rahimzadeh Torabi L, Doudi M. The effect of gold nanoparticles compared to dioxide titanium nanoparticles on vital factors of isolated Candida albicans in patients with oral candidiasis in vitro. Zahedan J Res Med Sci. 2016;18(12):e5666.
Emmanuel R, Saravanan M, Ovais M, Padmavathy S, Shinwari ZK, Prakash P. Antimicrobial efficacy of drug blended biosynthesized colloidal gold nanoparticles from Justicia glauca against oral pathogens: a nanoantibiotic approach. Microb Pathog. 2017;113:295-302.
Nidhin M, Saneha D, Hans S, Varghese A, Fatima Z, Hameed S. Studies on the antifungal activity of biotemplated gold nanoparticles over Candida albicans. Mater Res Bull. 2019;119:110563.
Dananjaya SHS, Thu Thao NT, Wijerathna HMSM, Lee J, Edussuriya M, Choi D, Kumar RS. In vitro and in vivo anticandidal efficacy of green synthesized gold nanoparticles using Spirulina maxima polysaccharide. Process Biochem. 2020;92:138-148. doi:10.1016/j.procbio.2020.03.003
Yu Q, Li J, Zhang Y, Wang Y, Liu L, Li M. Inhibition of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on pathogenic biofilm formation and invasion to host cells. Sci Rep. 2016 May 25;6:26667. doi: 10.1038/srep26667
Seong M, Lee DG. Reactive oxygen species-independent apoptotic pathway by gold nanoparticles in Candida albicans. Microbiol Res. 2018 Mar;207:33-40. doi: 10.1016/j.micres.2017.11.003
Shino B, Peedikayil FC, Jaiprakash SR, Bijapur GA, Kottayi S, Jose D. Comparison of antimicrobial activity of chlorhexidine, coconut oil, probiotics, and ketoconazole on Candida albicans isolated in children with early childhood caries: an in vitro study. Scientifica (Cairo). 2016;2016:7061587.
de Alteriis E, Maselli V, Falanga A, Galdiero S, Di Lella FM, Gesuele R, et al. Efficiency of gold nanoparticles coated with the antimicrobial peptide indolicidin against biofilm formation and development of Candida spp. clinical isolates. Infect Drug Resist. 2018;11:915-925.
Jalal M, Ansari MA, Alshamrani M, Ali SG, Jamous YF, Alyahya SA, et al. Crinum latifolium mediated biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles and their anticandidal, antibiofilm and antivirulence activity. J Saudi Chem Soc. 2023;27:101644.
Tabassum N, Khan F, Kang MG, Jo DM, Cho KJ, Kim YM. Inhibition of Polymicrobial Biofilms of Candida albicans-Staphylococcus aureus/Streptococcus mutans by Fucoidan-Gold Nanoparticles. Mar Drugs. 2023 Feb 13;21(2):123. doi: 10.3390/md21020123
More PR, Pandit S, Filippis A, Franci G, Mijakovic I, Galdiero M. Silver Nanoparticles: Bactericidal and Mechanistic Approach against Drug Resistant Pathogens. Microorganisms. 2023 Feb 1;11(2):369. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11020369. PMID: 36838334; PMCID: PMC9961011.
