Inhibition of Mixed Biofilms of Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus by β-Caryophyllene-Gold Nanoparticles

Abstract

Polymicrobial biofilms, consisting of fungal and bacterial pathogens, often contribute to the failure of antimicrobial treatment. The growing resistance of pathogenic polymicrobial biofilms to antibiotics has led to the development of alternative strategies to combat polymicrobial diseases. To this end, nanoparticles synthesized using natural molecules have received significant attention for disease treatment. Here, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized using β-caryophyllene, a bioactive compound isolated from various plant species. The shape, size, and zeta potential of the synthesized β-c-AuNPs were found to be non-spherical, 17.6 ± 1.2 nm, and -31.76 ± 0.73 mV, respectively. A mixed biofilm of Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus was used to test the efficacy of the synthesized β-c-AuNPs. The results revealed a concentration-dependent inhibition of the initial stages of formation of single-species as well as mixed biofilms. Furthermore, β-c-AuNPs also eliminated mature biofilms. Therefore, using β-c-AuNPs to inhibit biofilm and eradicate bacterial-fungal mixed biofilms represents a promising therapeutic approach for controlling polymicrobial infections.

The Effects of Angelica ternata Extract from Kyrgyzstan on the Formation of Candida albicans ATCC 10231 Biofilms

“…This indicator characterizes our chosen microorganism as a very strong biofilm producer. A similar result has been reported in our published papers [3,7,10].…”

“…The study of biofilms and phenotypic features was carried out using the reference strain of C. albicans ATCC 10231 https://vkpm.genetika.ru/katalog-mikroorganizmov/ cat30012009367/ (accessed on 2 November 2023). We chose this strain because we have worked with it for many years and it is already well characterized [7,10,12]. The strain was stored at −80 • C in a medium with glycerol [12].…”

“…Biofilms formed by a variety of Candida spp. tend to vary in density and morphology of the cells themselves (larger or smaller; round or elliptical) and their hyphal forms [8][9][10]. The biofilm structures contain a heterogeneous polymeric extracellular matrix, providing a protective encasement for the fungal cells [11,12].…”

Chemical Analysis and Investigation of Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activities of Prangos trifida (Apiaceae)

“…In previous studies [50][51][52][53][54], both the antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities against some microorganisms tested in our work, such as S. aureus, L. monocytogenes or E. coli, were demonstrated for certain essential oil constituents. For example, limonene, α-pinene, p-cymene, γ-terpinene and (E)-caryophyllene, which were present as either major or minor components in investigated P. trifida essential oils, exhibited these activities [50][51][52][53][54]. This fact can at least partly explain the activities observed in the current study.…”

Silver nanoparticles synthesized from Pseudomonas aeruginosa pyoverdine: Antibiofilm and antivirulence agents

“…Recently, green chemistry has enabled the synthesis of biocompatible NPs that are as effective in managing biofilm-related infections and ditching traditional antibiotics [ 24 ]. Furthermore, a few studies have proposed applying green-synthesized NPs to overtake mono- and polymicrobial-species biofilms of deadly pathogens [ 29 , 30 ]. A diverse range of biological materials, such as plants, animals, microbes, and algae, have been employed to synthesize the NPs [ 24 ].…”