UNIVERSIDADE ESTADUAL PAULISTA
“JÚLIO DE MESQUITA FILHO”
Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia
Campus de São José dos Campos
ORIGINAL ARTICLE DOI: https://doi.org/10.4322/bds.2024.e4233
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Braz Dent Sci 2024 July/Sept;27 (3): e4233
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in
any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Antifungal effect of
Quillaja saponaria
plant extract on biofilms of
five
Candida
species of dental interest
Efeito antifúngico do extrato vegetal de
Quillaja saponaria
sobre biofilmes de cinco espécies de
Candida
de interesse
odontológico
Ellen Roberta Lima BESSA1 , Ana Bessa MUNIZ1 , Lucas de Paula RAMOS1 , Luciane Dias de OLIVEIRA1
1 - Universidade Estadual Paulista, Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia, Escola de Odontologia, Departamento de Biociências e Diagnóstico
Bucal, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil.
How to cite: Bessa ERL, Muniz AB, Ramos LP, Oliveira LD. Antifungal effect of
Quillaja saponaria
plant extract on biolms of ve
Candida
species of dental interest. Braz Dent Sci. 2024;27(3):e4233. https://doi.org/10.4322/bds.2024.e4233
ABSTRACT
Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the action of Q. saponaria glycolic extract on the biolms
of standard strains of
C. albicans
,
C. glabrata
,
C. krusei
,
C. dubliniensis
, and
C. tropicalis
. Material and Methods:
Monomicrobial biolms of the ve
Candida
species were grown for 48 h, followed by treatment with the isolated
extract at ve concentrations (100 mg/mL, 50 mg/mL, 25 mg/mL, 12.5 mg/mL, and 6.25 mg/mL) and two
times of exposure to treatment in all groups (5 min and 24 h), the untreated group, and the group treated with
0.12% chlorhexidine (CLX). To analyze cell viability, the MTT test was used, and the optical densities were
transformed into a percentage of metabolic activity. In statistical analysis, data were analyzed by ANOVA and
Tukey’s test, considering a signicance level of 5%. Results: The biolms, when analyzed after a time of 5 minutes,
showed fungal reduction when exposed to treatments at 5 concentrations of Quilaia extracts when compared
to the untreated group. This applies to the species of
C. albicans
,
C. glabrata
,
C. krusei
, and
C. dubliniensis
(p<0.0001), as only the biolms formed by
C. tropicalis
, despite providing reduction, did not show signicant
differences between the groups. At 5 minutes, only the biolms of
C. albicans
,
C. grabrata
, and
C. krusei
treated
with Quilaia extract 100 mg/mL showed superior and signicant results compared to the group treated with
CLX, but at a concentration of 50 mg/mL, only group
C. albicans
. Within 24 h, all groups and all concentrations
of Quilaia demonstrated antifungal action (p<0.0001). Despite showing a reduction greater than or similar to
that promoted by CLX in 24 hours when comparing concentrations of 100 mg/mL and 50 mg/mL, the
C. albicans
groups showed statistically signicant differences in this comparison and at this time (p<0.0001). Conclusion:
Therefore, Quilaia extract demonstrated high antifungal potential and was capable of acting on the reduction
of
Candida
spp. biolms at both treatment exposure times and concentrations.
KEYWORDS
Candida;
Quilaia; Phytotherapy; Biolm; Plant extracts.
RESUMO
Objetivo: O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a ação do extrato glicólico de Q. saponaria sobre biolmes de
cepas padrão de
C. albicans
,
C. glabrata
,
C. krusei
,
C. dubliniensis
e
C. tropicalis
. Material e Métodos: Biolmes
monomicrobianos das cinco espécies de
Candida
foram formados por 48 h, seguido do tratamento com o extrato
isolado em cinco concentrações (100 mg/mL, 50 mg/mL, 25 mg/mL, 12,5 mg/mL e 6,25 mg/mL) e em dois
tempos de exposição ao tratamento em todos os grupos (5 min e 24 h), grupo sem tratamento e o grupo tratado
com clorexidina (CLX) 0,12%. Para análise da viabilidade celular contou com o teste de MTT e as densidades
ópticas foram transformadas em percentual de atividade metabólica. Na análise estatística os dados foram
analisados por ANOVA e Teste de Tukey, considerando nível de signicância de 5%. Resultados: Os biolmes
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Bessa ERL et al.
Antifungal effect of Quillaja saponaria plant extract on biofilms of five Candida species of dental interest
Bessa ERL et al. Antifungal effect of Quillaja saponaria plant extract on
biofilms of five Candida species of dental interest
INTRODUCTION
Candida
spp. is a yeast commonly found in
the oral cavity of humans; however, as it is an
opportunistic fungus, any imbalance in the host-
pathogen complex, when the host presents some
deciency or imbalance in the immunological
mechanisms, multiplies and penetrates the
tissues, causing inflammation, and they stop
being colonizers and become pathogens, causing
infections, thus causing oral pathologies [1-3].
This genus has several pathogenic species;
the most studied and listed in the literature is
Candida albicans
, as it is the predominant species;
however, the other species belonging to the non-
albicans
Candida
group have demonstrated an
increase in prevalence in recent years, leading to
a new prole of virulence and pathogenicity and
presenting resistance to conventional antifungal
treatments [4]. The that are not of the
C. albicans
species are included in a large group of species
called non-
albicans
Candida
, species that were
previously given little emphasis, as they were
previously species belonging to infections only in
patients with high immunological compromise,
but now it has been demonstrated that there
is a change in the prevalence profile, where
the general population showed an increase in
oral infections with these species. This group
is composed of:
Candida glabrata
,
Candida
tropicalis
,
Candida krusei
,
Candida dubliniensis
,
Candida parapsilosis
,
Candida auris
, among
others [5-7].
All these mentioned species count when
they become successful pathogens; this makes
them successful oral pathogens or less willing
to be just human colonizers [8]. The ability of
Candida
spp. to infect various niches of the host
is supported by a countless arsenal of virulence
factors and attributes of its pathogenic tness,
which is why this genus receives the title of
main fungal pathogen [9,10]. Among the main
virulence factors that contribute to pathogenicity
is the capacity for phenotypic change and the
formation of biolm [11,12].
Due to the fact that the species of
Candida
spp. are involved in high rates of morbidity, new
therapeutic approaches have been proposed to
achieve antifungal effectiveness, such as the use of
herbal medicines, plant extracts, or even chemical
compounds extracted from plants [13-15].
Among the plants that have promising
components to act as antimicrobials is Quilaia
saponária (
Quillaja saponaria
), a plant generally
found in western Latin America recognized for
having a high content of saponin, a substance with
immunoadjuvant properties, as it can stimulate
various immune responses [16,17], Quilaia
saponária has anti-inflammatory properties
and is commonly used for some dermatological
diseases [18,19].
Due to the conditions presented,
Candida
spp. has already proven to be a threat to public
health as it can cause major impacts on oral
and general health, which is why this research
was proposed in order to analyze the antifungal
effect exerted by Quilaja
saponaria
extract on the
biolms of ve ATCC species of
Candida
.
quando analisados após o tempo de 5 minutos apresentaram redução fúngica quando expostos aos tratamentos
nas 5 concentrações de extratos de
Quilaia quando comparados com o grupo não tratado, isto se aplica para as
espécies de
C. albicans
,
C. glabrata
,
C. krusei
e
C. dubliniensis
(p<0,0001), pois apenas os biolmes formados
por
C. tropicalis
, apesar de proporcionarem redução não apresentaram diferenças signicativas entre os grupos.
Em 5 minutos, apenas os biolmes de
C. albicans,
C. grabrata
e
C. krusei
, tratados com extrato de Quilaia
100 mg/mL apresentaram resultados superiores e signicantes comparados ao grupo tratado com CLX, mas na
concentração de 50 mg/mL apenas o grupo
C. albicans
. Em 24 h, todos os grupos e todas as concentrações de
Quilaia demonstraram ação antifúngica (p<0,0001). Apesar de apresentarem redução superior ou semelhante a
promovida pela CLX em 24 h quando comparadas as concentrações 100 mg/mL e 50 mg/mL os grupos
C. albicans
apresentaram diferenças estatística signicantes nesta comparação e neste tempo (p<0,0001). Conclusão:
Portanto, extrato de Quilaia
demonstrou alto potencial antifúngico capaz de atuar na redução de biolmes de
Candida
spp. em ambos os tempos de exposição ao tratamento e concentrações.
PALAVRAS-CHAVE
Candida;
Quilaia
;
Fitoterapia; Biolme; Extratos de planta.
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Bessa ERL et al.
Antifungal effect of Quillaja saponaria plant extract on biofilms of five Candida species of dental interest
Bessa ERL et al. Antifungal effect of Quillaja saponaria plant extract on
biofilms of five Candida species of dental interest
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Glycolic extracts of
Quillaja saponaria
(Quilaia) (Lot: 1475/23280, concentration of
200 mg/mL) obtained from the company Distriol
(São Paulo, Brazil) were used. The strains
used were reference strains (ATCC, American
Type Culture Collection) of
C. albicans
(ATCC
18804), C.
grabrata
(ATCC 9030),
C. krusei
(ATCC 6258),
C. dubliniensis
(ATCC MYA
646), and
C. tropicalis
(ATCC 13803) from the
Microbiology and Immunology Laboratory of
the Dentistry Course at ICT-UNESP. The broth
microdilution method, based on the Clinical
and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) M27-
S4 standard [20], was applied to determine
the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC)
and minimum fungicidal concentrations
(CFM) of the extracts on the fungal strains.
Candida
spp. were cultivated (37°C/24 h) in
Sabouraud-dextrose agar (SD-Himedia, Mumbai,
India), and then microbial suspensions were
prepared where colonies of the respective
Candida
species were diluted in sterile saline
solution (NaCl 0.9%) and homogenized in Vortex
for 10 s. Standardization was carried out using a
spectrophotometer to obtain 107 CFU/mL. After
preparing the inoculum, standardization was
carried out using a spectrophotometer (Micronal
B-582, São Paulo, Brazil) using a wavelength of
530 nm and optical density of 0.284.
Subsequently, 200 µL/well of the adjusted
Candida
suspension were added to microplates,
which were then incubated at 37°C for 90 min
for the initial adhesion of the fungal cells to
the well. Then, the supernatant was discarded,
and BHI broth (Brain Heart Infusion, Kasvi)
was added. Incubation continued for 48 h for
biolm formation, with broth replacement after
24 h of incubation. After the biolm formation
of each species, the supernatant from the wells
was discarded, and the corresponding wells were
treated with concentrations of
Q. saponaria
extract
(100 mg/mL, 50 mg/mL, 25 mg/mL, 12.5 mg/mL,
and 6.25 mg/mL); the positive control received
0.12% chlorhexidine; the group without treatment;
and the control group received only BHI medium.
The treatments were carried out in 2 periods:
exposure to the extract for 5 min and 24 h.
After exposure to the treatment, the
wells were washed with saline solution and
discarded to eliminate non-adherent cells
that suffered from the action of the therapy.
To analyze the biolms, a viability test of fungal
cells was carried out in which 100 µL of MTT
solution (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-
diphenyltetrazolium bromide) was added to each
well, and the plates were incubated, protected
from light, at 37°C for 1 h. After the incubation
period, the MTT solution was removed, followed
by the addition of 100 µL of dimethylsulfoxide
(DMSO). The plates were again incubated in an
oven at 37o C for 10 minutes and placed in the
shaker under constant agitation for 10 minutes.
Optical densities (OD) were then obtained using
a microplate reader at 570 nm, and the OD
obtained will be converted into a percentage of
the metabolic activity of fungal cells.
Regarding statistical analysis, data that
showed normality and homogeneity were
analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey’s test; otherwise,
by the Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn’s test.
The GraphPad Prism 5.0 program was used,
considering a signicance level of 5%.
RESULTS
All biofilms formed by
C. albicans
were
evaluated after 5 minutes; one of the groups was
not treated, the other received 0.12% chlorhexidine
treatment, and the other ve groups were treated
with 5 concentrations of
Q. saponaria
(100 mg/mL,
50 mg/mL, 25 mg/mL, 12.5 mg/mL, and 6.25 mg/
mL) (Figure 1A). The seven groups, when analyzed
concomitantly, showed significant statistical
differences (p<0.0001). The groups treated
with
Q. saponaria
extract showed some level of
reduction in C. albicans biolms when compared to
those that did not receive treatment and those that
were treated with 0.12% chlorhexidine, showing
a statistically signicant difference (p<0.0001).
When comparing groups of
C. albicans
biolms
treated with chlorhexidine and the others treated
with Quilaia extract (Figure 1B), only the groups
that were applied at concentrations of 100 mg/mL
and 50 mg/mL showed significant differences
(p <0.0001), but all showed a decrease in the
biolm product. All groups of
C. albicans
biolms
treated with
Q. saponaria
demonstrated that the
higher the concentration of the plant extract, the
greater the biolm reduction (p = 0.0001). In the
24-hour treatment time that received
C. albicans
biolms, the results were similar to the 5-minute
treatments, but the groups, when contrasted with
each other, showed distinctions.
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Antifungal effect of Quillaja saponaria plant extract on biofilms of five Candida species of dental interest
Bessa ERL et al. Antifungal effect of Quillaja saponaria plant extract on
biofilms of five Candida species of dental interest
Figure 1. Reduction in the percentage of
C. albicans
biofilm after exposure to treatment with Quilaia stratum for 5 minutes in 24 hours.
Captions: NT = Untreated group; CHX = Group treated with 0.12% Chlorhexidine. Q 100 = group that received treatment with 100 mg/mL
of Quilaia extract (
Q. saponaria
); Q 50= group that received treatment with 50 mg/mL of Quilaia extract (
Q. saponaria
); Q 25 = group that
received treatment with 25 mg/mL of Quilaia extract (
Q. saponaria
); Q 12.5 = group that received treatment with 12.5 mg/mL of Quilaia
extract (
Q. saponaria
); Q 6.25 = group that received treatment with 6.25 mg/mL of Quilaia extract (
Q. saponaria
); A) Groups of
C. albicans
biofilms analyzed within 5 minutes; B) Groups of
C. albicans
biofilms analyzed over a 24-hour period; C) Groups of
C. glabrata
biofilms analyzed
within 5 minutes; D) Groups of
C. glabrata
biofilms analyzed within 24 hours; E) Groups of
C. krusei
biofilms analyzed within 5 minutes; F)
Groups of
C. krusei
biofilms analyzed within 24 hours; G) Groups of
C. tropicalis
biofilms analyzed within 5 minutes; H) Groups of
C. tropicalis
biofilms analyzed over a 24-hour period; I) Groups of
C. dubliniensis
biofilms analyzed within 5 minutes; J) Groups of
C. dubliniensis
biofilms
analyzed over a 24-hour period.
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Antifungal effect of Quillaja saponaria plant extract on biofilms of five Candida species of dental interest
Bessa ERL et al. Antifungal effect of Quillaja saponaria plant extract on
biofilms of five Candida species of dental interest
When comparing chlorhexidine with the groups
treated with extract, all concentrations reduced
biofilms, but there were statistical differences
in relation to the 100 mg/mL and 50 mg/mL
concentrations, which showed the highest levels
of reduction (p<0.0001), while the concentrations
of 12.5 mg/mL and 6.25 mg/mL showed lower
reductions than the chlorhexidine group.
Regarding the results of the groups on
C. glabrata
biolms analyzed after a period of
ve minutes, as shown in gure 1C, the groups
presented different results from each other
(p<0.0001), the treated groups showed a decrease
in the amount of biolm, and the groups treated
with Quilaia extract showed better results when
compared to the group treated with chlorhexidine
(p<0.0001). In the five-minute analysis time
(Figure 1D), the twenty-four-hour groups of
C. glabrata
biofilms also showed significant
differences in relation to those treated and the
group that did not receive treatment (p<0.0001).
C. krusei
biolms, at both times analyzed,
present significant statistical differences
when compared to each other (p<0.0001).
In gure 1E, composing the ve-minute groups,
it is observed that the first three analyzed
concentrations of Quilaia extract (100 mg/mL,
50 mg/mL, and 25 mg/mL) were more effective
in reducing the biolm of the group treated with
chlorhexidine, and the two lowest concentrations
(12.5 mg/mL and 6.25 mg/mL) demonstrated
lower effectiveness than the treatment, but only
the most concentrated extract (100 mg/mL)
showed signicance in comparison to the group
treated with chlorhexidine.
In the analysis of
C. krusei
biofilms over
a period of twenty-four hours (Figure 1F), the
reduction of the chlorhexidine groups and those
treated with Quilaia extract at concentrations
of 100 mg/mL and 50 mg/mL showed similar
reductions and did not present significant
differences; however, the groups treated with
the three lowest concentrations (25 mg/mL,
12.5 mg/mL, and 6.25 mg/mL) did not show
a reduction in biofilms; on the contrary, they
showed an exacerbated increase in
C. krusei
when compared to the other groups (p<0.0001).
In Figure 1G, we can see the results of the tests
analyzed after five minutes on
C. tropicalis
biolms. The seven groups did not show statistical
differences between them, despite the fact that the
results of the reduction of biolms in the groups
that were treated with chlorhexidine and with
Quilaia extract at 100 mg/mL were similar, but
the results were signicant when compared to the
group that did not receive treatment (p<0.0001).
In the groups analyzed after twenty-four
hours (Figure 1H), when evaluated together,
they showed statistical differences (p<0.0001).
The two groups of
C. tropicalis
biolms that were
treated with Quilaia extract at 100 mg/mL and
50 mg/mL showed a lower reduction than the
group treated with chlorhexidine; despite this,
they did not differ statistically; the signicant
difference was only observed when compared to
the group that did not receive treatment.
Figure 1I shows the results of the groups
of
C. dubliniensis
biofilms analyzed over a
period of 5 minutes. The group with the highest
concentration of Quilaia extract (100 mg/mL)
was the only one that showed promising results
in reducing biofilm when compared with the
chlorhexidine group, despite not showing
signicant differences; however, it showed more
than the group that did not receive treatment
(p<0.0001). In the analysis time of twenty-
four hours, we can see in Figure 1J that the
two highest concentrations of Quilaia extract
showed a reduction in biolms superior to the
other groups; there were signicant differences
compared to the group that did not receive
treatment but not presented in relation to the
chlorhexidine group.
DISCUSSION
The present study evaluated the glycolic extract
of
Q. saponaria
isolated at different concentrations
for treatment against biolms of
Candida
species:
C. albicans
,
C. glabrata
,
C. tropicalis
,
C. krusei
, and
C. dubliniensis
. It is worth highlighting that most
studies involving new therapeutic proposals for
this fungal genus, in most cases, choose only
C.
albicans
to carry out the analysis [21,22]. However,
it is important to highlight that each species of
Candida
has its own characteristics. particularities,
which involve everything from its morphology,
pathogenesis, and virulence factors, and we can
also mention resistance against antifungals [23,24].
This allows us to understand that we cannot treat
Candida
by generalizing as if every infection caused
was only caused by species of the
albicans
type,
when the literature already allows us to observe
studies showing high prevalence rates, virulence,
pathogenicity, and resistance of other non-
albicans
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Antifungal effect of Quillaja saponaria plant extract on biofilms of five Candida species of dental interest
Bessa ERL et al. Antifungal effect of Quillaja saponaria plant extract on
biofilms of five Candida species of dental interest
Candida
species [25,26]. Therefore, we propose to
cover several species to verify the real therapeutic
possibility using Quilaia extract. Studies addressing
biolms, this microorganism, and treatment with
Quilaia were not found; however, several herbal
medicines produced from different plants with anti-
Candida
action are reported in the literature [27].
These studies use the extracts in isolated forms, as
in our research, and also evaluate the possibility of
a combination with synergistic action with other
extracts, such as Mecatti et al. [28] carried out
research also analyzing the potential for reducing
Candida
species using glycolic extracts of
Rosa
centifolia
L.,
Curcuma longa
L.,
Rosmarinus
ofcinalis
L., and
Punica granatum
L. against
C.
albicans
,
C. dubliniensis
,
C. tropicalis
, and
C. krusei
.
This allows us to think of other alternatives for
combining Quilaia with other types of plant extracts.
Although we did not nd any relationship
between
Candida
and Quilaia, other studies
presenting the possibility of
Q. saponaria
extracts
as an antimicrobial agent were found, addressing
other microorganisms such as
Escherichia coli
and
Piscirickettsia salmonis
, but the extracts
used were with an aqueous vehicle, different
of our study that we used glycolics, however
both positive results were independent of the
types of extracts used, the antimicrobial action
was effective for both bacteria and fungi, as
demonstrated by our results, it is important to
highlight that, as well as
Candida
species, the
two bacteria evaluated also colonize and cause
infection in regions of the gastrointestinal and
genitourinary tracts, that is, both pathogens
have a predilection for the same environment,
proving that Quilaia can be a possible and
promising therapeutic target for infections in
these regions [29,30].
Old records of the use of medicinal plants
and the positive results presented by Quilaia
were found, both in our results and in some
other studies [31]. For decades, Quilaia has
been debated as an antimicrobial, as it a has a
high content of saponins, which can act on the
cell membrane of fungal cells [32,33]. However,
there are gaps that need to be lled involving
this subject, among which we can mention
the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity exerted by
this extract. a pharmaceutical form that can
be administered to reach supercial and deep
tissues [34]. Since
Candida
spp. is a pathogen, it
can colonize, cause local and invasive infection,
and can reach the bloodstream, which is why the
research used two analyzed times: 5 minutes for a
drug with a local action and 24 hours to test the
extract’s ability against biolms in deep tissues
in a longer amount of exposure time, so cellular
behavior needs to be analyzed in this case.
The effectiveness of Quilaia, in studies
carried out to date, points to a possible medicine
for local use. This for dentistry is a highly viable
form of drug use, and it would be appropriate
to use Quilaia extract as a mouthwash or even
as an ointment, as in addition to acting as an
antifungal, it would also allow us to stabilize the
product, which is one of the other properties of
this plant [35]. It is currently being used due to
the corresponding saponins in its composition
that promote stabilization, so the market uses
it in food and beverages, cosmetics handling,
photography, and as adjuvants in the production
of vaccines [16,36-38]. However, it needs to be
veried for the possibility of using Quilaia as an
active ingredient and adjuvant for formulation.
Aqueous extracts from the bark of
Q. saponaria
are approved by the United States
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) [39] and are
also used as a natural avoring, as they contain
bioactive polyphenols, tannins, and triterpenoid
saponins with proven anti-inammatory activity
and antimicrobial activity [40]. Saponins,
similar to detergents, have cytotoxic, hemolytic,
molluscicidal, anti-inflammatory, antifungal,
antibacterial, and antiviral activities, and
their effects have already been analyzed in
prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells [41]. Not only
as antimicrobials, but it is scientically proven
that the properties of
Q. saponaria
go beyond
infection control; they also achieve preventive
benets for several other diseases, thus acting
as a promoter of oral and general health.
As a limitation and improvement proposed
for the research, there is a need to carry out a
photochemical analysis in the future of the extract
produced by the supplier company to verify the
active ingredients present in this extraction so
that we have a complete understanding of the
components, since the known properties of
Quilaia were provided by literature from other
types of extracts and not from laboratory data
from our researchers. The need to use clinical
strains is also timely considering that new
resistance proles have been reported involving
Candida
spp., so clinical strains with and without
a resistance profile are opportune for further
studies. One of the species of the genus
Candida
,
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Antifungal effect of Quillaja saponaria plant extract on biofilms of five Candida species of dental interest
Bessa ERL et al. Antifungal effect of Quillaja saponaria plant extract on
biofilms of five Candida species of dental interest
C. glabrata
, has been highly studied due to the
involvement of this microorganism in several
deaths, reported in the literature as a successful
pathogen, manipulating the immune system, and
evading drugs. Our results with the standard
strain of this species were promising, which
leads us to discuss the need for future trials
using clinical and resistant strains, verifying the
possibility of Quilaia extract in containing the
infection [42-44].
Oral candidiasis presents a new obstacle for
oral health, as it has changed its fungal prevalence
prole, where previously the highest prevalence
was due to species from the
C. albicans
group.
However, we observed that many promising
studies for the use of new therapeutic therapies
still use only the
C. albicans
species in the
studies [45], as they still believe that this species
is still the main one involved in superficial
infections. We can also mention that species that
were previously only involved in deep infections
are involved in oral infections as well, species
of which are not as sensitive as they were in the
past to the antifungals that dentists frequently
prescribed. Likewise, a new challenge is the
formation of polymicrobial biolms with a much
higher resistance prole. Therefore, everything
involving this infection currently represents a
great challenge, but as it is an oral pathology
that promotes an inammatory response, nding
therapeutic protocols capable of combining the
anti-inammatory, antimicrobial, and stabilizing
actions of the solution already demonstrates
a great achievement for science, about the
appropriate control of this pathology.
CONCLUSION
Therefore, Quilaia demonstrated high
antifungal potential and was capable of acting
on the reduction of biofilms at both times of
exposure to treatment, presenting significant
statistical differences for all groups, as the
higher the concentration, the greater the biolm
reduction. The best results were using Quilaia
concentrations at 100 mg/mL and 50 mg/mL,
which were superior to the group treated with
chlorhexidine for the species of
C. albicans
at both
times,
C. glabrata
in ve minutes, and
C. krusei
in ve minutes.
This study demonstrated that the tested
extracts have antifungal potential in
Candida
albicans
biolms, having the ability to inuence
the decrease in the phenotypic expression of
virulence factors, reducing enzymatic secretion,
and reaching the proposed objectives which can
be indicated as alternative therapeutic tools with
the objective of reducing the morbidity of these
infections. In both times tested, the secretion
of phospholipases, proteases, and hemolyzines
produced by
C. albicans
decreased.
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Lucas de Paula
Ramos for content contributions and effort to
carry out this research, and the Luciane Dias
de Oliveira for effective support during the
development and writing of these manuscript.
Author’s Contributions
ERLB: Review & Editing, Formal Analysis,
Investigation, Resources, Data Curation, Writing
– Original Draft Preparation. ABM: Review &
Editing, Writing – Original Draft Preparation. LPR:
Review & Editing, Formal Analysis, Investigation.
LDO: Conceptualization, Methodology, Software,
Validation, Visualization, Supervision, Project
Administration and Funding Acquisition
Conict of Interest
The authors have no proprietary, nancial,
or other personal interest of any nature or kind
in any product, service, and/or company that is
presented in this article.
Funding
This research did not receive any specic
grant from funding agencies in the public,
commercial, or not-for-prot sectors.
Regulatory Statement
This study was conducted in accordance with
all the provisions of ICT/CSJC – UNESP Ethical
Committee Agency. It does not require approval
from the ethics committee because the research
does not involve humans or animals.
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Ellen Roberta Lima Bessa
(Corresponding address)
Universidade Estadual Paulista, Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia, Escola de
Odontologia, Departamento de Biociências e Diagnóstico Bucal, São José dos
Campos, SP, Brazil.
E-mail: ellen.bessa@unesp.br
Date submitted: 2024 Jan 17
Accept submission: 2024 Aug 21
