Inhibitory effect of ficin on Candida albicans biofilm formation and pre-formed biofilms

Abstract

Background To investigate the effect of ficin, a type of proteases, on Candida albicans (C. albicans) biofilm, including forming and pre-formed biofilms. Methods Crystal violet tests together with colony forming unit (CFU) counts were used to detect fungal biofilm biomass. Live/dead staining of biofilms observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to monitor fungal activity. Finally, gene expression of C. albicans within biofilms was assessed by qRT-PCR. Results According to our results, biofilm biomass was dramatically reduced by ficin in both biofilm formation and pre-formed biofilms, as revealed by the crystal violet assay and CFU count (p < 0.05). Fungal activity in biofilm formation and pre-formed biofilms was not significantly influenced by ficin according to live/dead staining. Fungal polymorphism and biofilm associated gene expression were influenced by ficin, especially in groups with prominent antibiofilm effects. Conclusions In summary, ficin effectively inhibited C. albicans biofilm formation and detached its preformed biofilm, and it might be used to treat C. albicans biofilm associated problems.

Anti-Biofilm Activity of Assamsaponin A, Theasaponin E1, and Theasaponin E2 against Candida albicans

“…Subsequently, the system was stained with XTT solution for 1 h at 37 • C in the dark, and the resulting suspensions were measured using a Synergy H1 microplate reader (BioTek Instruments, Inc., Winooski, VT, USA) at OD490. The adhesion rate of C. albicans cells following drug treatment was calculated using the following formula: Adhesion% = (OD490 treatment group − OD490 blank )/(OD490 negative control group − OD490 blank ) × 100% Biofilm quantification was conducted using the CV staining assay with slight modifications [57]. Specifically, C. albicans cells were incubated with the aforementioned treatment for 1.5 h, followed by two washes with D-PBS to remove non-adherent cells.…”

The Effect of Ficin Immobilized on Carboxymethyl Chitosan on Biofilms of Oral Pathogens

“…In previous studies, promising results of the destruction of staphylococcal biofilms by Ficin were obtained, with the assumption that this property is driven rather by a desorbed enzyme that penetrates into the biofilm and hydrolyzes the proteins of the matrix than by the immobilized protein [28,34]. Therefore, we tested the ability of soluble and CMCh200-immobilized Ficin to destroy the mature biofilms formed by S. aureus, Streptococci and C. albicans, the most common pathogens occurring in the oral cavity [1, 30,35,36]. Microorganisms were grown in 96-well plates for 24 h until biofilms were formed, after which the culture liquid was removed, and a fresh broth with compounds to be tested was added.…”

“…It has also been shown that Ficin is able to inhibit the biofilm formation of S. mutans, reducing the cariogenic virulence of bacteria, including the production of acids and extracellular matrix [29]. Moreover, the ability of Ficin to inhibit the formation of biofilms and to act on the fungal polymorphism of C. albicans was shown [30].…”