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

Artif Cells Nanomed Biotechnol. 2018;46(sup1):912-925. doi: 10.1080/21691401.2018.1439837. Epub 2018 Feb 15.

Abstract

The pathogenicity of Candida species in human is dependent on a variety of virulence factor such as adhesion factors, germ tube and hyphal formation, secretion of hydrolytic phospholipases and proteinases and drug resistance biofilm. ZnO NPs have been synthesized by using leaf extract of Crinum latifolium and were characterized by UV-Vis spectrophotometer, FTIR, SEM, EDX and TEM. 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.

Keywords: Crinum latifolium; ZnO NPs; biofilm; dual staining; germ tube; phospholipase; proteinase; virulence factors.

MeSH terms

  • Antifungal Agents / chemistry
  • Antifungal Agents / pharmacology
  • Biofilms / drug effects
  • Biofilms / growth & development
  • Biomimetic Materials / chemistry*
  • Biomimetic Materials / pharmacology*
  • Candida / cytology
  • Candida / drug effects*
  • Candida / growth & development
  • Candida / physiology
  • Extracellular Space / drug effects
  • Extracellular Space / enzymology
  • Hydrolysis
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry*
  • Virulence / drug effects
  • Zinc Oxide / chemistry*
  • Zinc Oxide / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Antifungal Agents
  • Zinc Oxide