Evaluation of the antifungal activity of zinc oxide (ZnO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles against clinical isolates of Candida spp.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5902/2236583487852Keywords:
Nanoparticles, Candida spp, Antifungals, SynergismAbstract
Objective: Candidemia is a bloodstream infection caused by the opportunistic fungus Candida spp. This infection has a high rate of in-hospital mortality and represents around 17% of infections acquired in the ICU (intensive care unit). The main risk factors for developing candidemia are immunosuppression and ICU admissions. Currently, the treatment is carried out using fluconazole (azole class) and amphotericin B (polyenes). However, studies have shown that some strains of Candida have developed resistance or become dose-dependent on the treatment with some antifungals. Therefore, the search for alternative treatment methods becomes necessary. Methods: to evaluate the antifungal activity of zinc oxide (ZnO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles against clinical isolates of Candida spp. isolated from patients admitted to the Hospital de Clínicas of UFTM. The confirmation of the Candida species from clinical isolates was carried out using the VITEK®2 system and also by culture in CHROMagar. Antifungal susceptibility was performed using the broth microdilution test, through which the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of NPs and antifungals was determined. The synergistic effect was evaluated using the “checkerboard” method. Results: The most prevalent species isolated in this study were Candida albicans, C. parapsilosis and C. glabrata (N=8; 24.2%). According to the checkerboard test, only the ATCC 22019 reference strain of C. parapsilosis showed synergism between TiO2 and amphotericin B (CIF of 0.245). On the other hand, ZnO did not demonstrate synergistic activity when associated with fluconazole and amphotericin B. Conclusion: The TiO2 nanoparticles appears to have an antifungal effect. More studies are needed to evaluate its real effect and whether it would be possible to act as an adjuvant in the existing treatment in the future.
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