Therapeutic Effect of Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles Using Erodium glaucophyllum Extract against Oral Candidiasis: In Vitro and In Vivo Study

Abstract

Oral candidiasis (OC) is a fungal infection caused by an opportunistic fungi Candida albicans, which is found in the normal flora of healthy people. In this study, we examined the anti-candidal effect of green synthesized silver nanoparticles using leaf extract of Erodium glaucophyllum (EG-AgNPs) against C. albicans in vitro and in vivo. EG-AgNPs were synthesized for the first time using E. glaucophyllum extract and characterized by imaging (transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-VIS spectroscopy, zeta potential, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). A mouse model of OC was used for in vivo study. The agar well diffusion method showed the anti-candidal activity of EG-AgNPs against C. albicans with MIC 50 µg/mL. EG-AgNPs inhibited the dimorphic transition of C. albicans and suppressed the formation of biofilm by 56.36% and 52%, respectively. Additionally, EG-AgNPs significantly inhibited the production of phospholipases and proteinases by 30% and 45%, respectively. EG-AgNPs cause cytoplasm disintegration and deterioration of cell wall as imaged by SEM and TEM. Interestingly, EG-AgNPs did not display any cytotoxicity on the human gingival fibroblast-1 HGF-1 cell line at MIC concentrations. Topical treatment of the tongue of the OC mouse model with EG-AgNPs showed significant reduction in candidal tissue invasion, less inflammatory changes, and no tissue modification, in association with marked low scare and hyphal counts as compared to control group. In conclusion, our data demonstrated the potent inhibitory action of EG-AgNPs on the growth and morphogenesis of C. albicans in vitro and in vivo. Thus, EG-AgNPs represent a novel plausible therapeutic approach for treatment of OC.

Metal Nanoparticles to Combat Candida albicans Infections: An Update

“…The development of nanodrugs and nanocarriers has provided new perspectives in the biomedical field. Metal nanoparticles have received much attention because of their potential activity against fungal species of interest in the medical, pharmaceutical, and agricultural fields [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]. A wide range of nanoparticles with inorganic cores has been proposed, including noble metals, magnetic materials, and metal oxide nanoparticles [ 30 ].…”

“…Metal nanoparticles exhibit antifungal activity through mechanisms involving the release of ions, oxidative and nitrosative stress, membrane and cell wall damage, enzymatic activity inhibition, gene expression regulation, decreasing ATP levels, DNA, protein, and mitochondrial dysfunction ( Figure 2 ) [ 27 , 32 , 33 , 34 ].…”

“…Similarly, Abdallah and Ali [ 27 ] used the leaf extract of Erodium glaucophyllum to biosynthesize AgNPs (EG-AgNPs). The authors characterized the EG-AgNPs and assessed their antifungal effect against C. albicans .…”

Potential Treatment of Dermatophyte Trichophyton rubrum in Rat Model Using Topical Green Biosynthesized Silver Nanoparticles with Achillea santolina Extract

“…We have recently shown the effective therapeutic potential of green biosynthesized nanoparticles, using plant extracts, in treating many fungal diseases. These include the effective inhibition of oral candidiasis by green AgNPs biosynthesized with Erodium glaucophyllum extract, Lotus lalambensis aqueous leaf extract, or the leaf extract of Calotropis gigantean [ 17 , 18 , 19 ], using Artemisia sieberi leaf extract against invasive pulmonary Aspergillosis [ 20 ].…”

Molecular Evidence of Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation Inhibition by a Combination of Selected Qatari Medicinal Plants Crude Extracts

“…Thus, we examined the effect of a super-combination (SC) of phyto-bioactives present in crude extracts, which were isolated from three selected Qatari medicinal plants (Haplophyllum tuberculatum (A), Erodium glaucophyllum (B), and Heliotropium bacciferum (C)) on the cell growth, cell survival, cell motility and invasion of the BC cell line MDA-MB-231. The plants used in the present study were selected based on our preliminary work, as well as their anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory properties, their content of antioxidants and well-known active compounds [21][22][23][24][25][26]. Moreover, the expression levels of proteins associated with cell cycle control and apoptosis were determined to identify the potential molecular mechanisms underlying SC-induced cell death.…”