TITLE:
Effects of Cinnamaldehyde, Ocimene, Camphene, Curcumin and Farnesene on Candida albicans
AUTHORS:
Archana D. Thakre, Shradha V. Mulange, Santosh S. Kodgire, Gajanan B. Zore, S. Mohan Karuppayil
KEYWORDS:
Ocimene, Farnesene, Camphene, Synergy, Candida albicans, Biofilm, Morphogenesis
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Microbiology,
Vol.6 No.9,
August
3,
2016
ABSTRACT: Efficacy of five plant
molecules against thirty three clinical isolates and two standard strains of C. albicans, differentially
susceptible to fluconazole (FLC) is tested in this study. Effect on biofilm
(adhesion, development and maturation) formation, morphogenesis and synergy
with fluconazole (FLC) against a FLC resistant strain of Candida albicans ATCC 10231 is also
evaluated. All the plant molecules tested were equally effective against
isolates and strains of C. albicans (N = 35) tested in this study. Cinnamaldehyde was found most effective
against planktonic growth followed by ocimene. Both the molecules exhibited
fungicidal activity and killed 99.9% of inoculum within 80 and 20 min of
exposure respectively at 0.62 mM and 176.8 mM concentrations. Curcumin (5 - 20
mM), camphene (8 - 32 mM) and farnesene (25 - 100 mM), although inhibited
planktonic growth, were fungistatic. All the five plant molecules tested in
this study inhibited morphogenesis significantly and exhibited considerable
activity against biofilm formation. Inhibition of biofilm was found to be stage
specific i.e. efficacy was more
against adhesion followed by developing and mature biofilm. Plant molecules
tested exhibited excellent synergy with fluconazole. However FIC index values
0.155, 0.062 and 0.046 indicate that ocimene was the most effective synergistic
molecule inhibited planktonic growth, developing biofilm and mature biofilm
growth respectively at very low concentrations. This is the first report of
anti-Candida activity of
three terpenoids viz. ocimene, farnesene and camphene against planktonic &
biofilm growth, morphogenesis as well as synergy with FLC. Plant molecules
tested in this study may find use in antifungal chemotherapy individually and
or in a combination with FLC.