title: Ultrastructural analysis of Candida albicans when exposed to silver nanoparticles.
abstract: Candida albicans is the most common fungal pathogen in humans, and recently some studies have reported the antifungal activity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) against some Candida species. However, ultrastructural analyses on the interaction of AgNPs with these microorganisms have not been reported. In this work we evaluated the effect of AgNPs on C. albicans, and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was found to have a fungicidal effect. The IC50 was also determined, and the use of AgNPs with fluconazole (FLC), a fungistatic drug, reduced cell proliferation. In order to understand how AgNPs interact with living cells, the ultrastructural distribution of AgNPs in this fungus was determined. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis revealed a high accumulation of AgNPs outside the cells but also smaller nanoparticles (NPs) localized throughout the cytoplasm. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis confirmed the presence of intracellular silver. From our results it is assumed that AgNPs used in this study do not penetrate the cell, but instead release silver ions that infiltrate into the cell leading to the formation of NPs through reduction by organic compounds present in the cell wall and cytoplasm.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiología, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Ensenada, B.C., Mexico.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vazquez-Muñoz
authors.affiliation: División de Materiales Avanzados, Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (IPICYT), San Luis Potosí, S.L.P., México; Centro de Nanociencias y Nanotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ensenada, B.C., Mexico.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Avalos-Borja
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiología, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Ensenada, B.C., Mexico.
authors.forename: Ernestina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Castro-Longoria
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006801:Humans; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry; D018030:Silver Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D018030:Silver Compounds; D012834:Silver