Effect of essential oil of Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Rendle on Candida albicans biofilm adhesion

• Grant number: 17/21356-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: February 01, 2018
• End date: November 30, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy
• Principal Investigator: Taís Maria Bauab
• Grantee: Luciani Gaspar de Toledo
• Supervisor: Hendrik Jan Busscher
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCFAR). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Netherlands
• Associated to the scholarship: 15/23959-7 - Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Rendle (citronella): chemical-biological prospecting of essential oil highlighted the biofilm study and control of vulvovaginal candidiasis, BP.DR

Abstract

This project is related to FAPESP doctoral fellowship process number 2015/23959-7, entitled, "Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Rendle (citronella): biological and chemical prospection of the essential oil with focus in the biofilm study and control of vulvovaginal candidiasis". The work will be performed by supervision of the Prof. Dr. Ir. Hendrik Jan Busscher (University Medical Center Groningen/University of Groningen, Groningen - The Netherlands), a researcher who is well recognized for his studies involving microbial biofilms. The incidence of fungal infection, especially those caused by yeasts, such as, Candida albicans, has increased in the last two decades. In addition, C. albicans is highlighted by its several virulence factors, such as, biofilm formation, morphological transition between yeast and hyphae, adhesion and production of hydrolytic enzymes. The treatment of Candida infection using azole, polyene and echinocandins, has limitations such as high cost, high toxicity, drug interactions, and insufficient bioavailability of the active ingredient and emergence of resistant strains. Moreover, the biofilm formation is an aggravating factor to the infection, considering that C. albicans co-exists with several microorganisms, resulting in multispecies biofilms, that makes it hard to treat the infection. In this sense, the studies in the laboratory of the Prof. Dr. Ir. Hendrik Jan Busscher, assess the behaviour microbial biofilms, as well as, adhesion force and hyphae formation, that contribute to the knowledge about Candida infections. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the effect of the essential oil of Cymbopogon nardus (L,) Rendle unloaded and loaded into nanostructured lipid system on Candida biofilm adhesion involving the action mechanism, as well as to assess the interference in C. albicans hyphae formation in presence of the other microorganisms (probiotics, vaginal pathogens). The assays of interference of biofilms adhesion will be performed in a parallel plate flow chamber and the interference in C. albicans hyphae formation will be carried out by transwell assay. In conclusion, this study will improve the knowledge of the antifungal action of essential oil from C. nardus, employing innovative techniques, against biofilm adhesion and hyphae formation of C. albicans.