The effect of the addition of nystatin and an alternative antifungal derived from pyrazoles in different commercial denture adhesives on their retentive efficacy, cytotoxicity and antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans was evaluated. Commercial denture adhesives were prepared with the inclusion of nystatin and 3,5-diaryl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole-1-carboximidamide (pyrazole) in three concentrations: 23.78 %w/w, 3.02 %w/w, and 0.31 %w/w (0.015 g, 0.0015 g, and 0.00015 g, respectively). The retentive efficacy was tested observing the influence of the medium, type of commercial denture type and the test condition (dipping). The antifungal action through disk diffusion and direct contact tests at 1, 4, 8 and 12 h and cytotoxic activity was evaluated in mouse fibroblasts (NIH/3T3) by the MTT reduction colorimetric assay. The addition of pyrazole and nystatin in commercial denture adhesives did not affect retentive efficacy rates and enhanced antifungal actions against Candida albicans. Results show a possibility of using denture adhesives as a delivery system for commercial antifungals (Nystatin) or pyrazole, with the second concentration (1,560 µg-3.02 %w/w) as the most efficient.
Keywords: Antifungal agents; Denture adhesives; Disk diffusion antimicrobial tests; Pyrazoles; Toxicity tests.