Impact of infectious <i style="">Candida albicans</i> biofilm on biomaterials

Abstract

In the present investigation, biofilm formation by <i style="">Candida albicans</i> was studied on different polymeric surfaces, viz., polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyvinylchloride (PVC), and silicone rubber (SR). Amongst these polymeric surfaces, the maximum biofilm formation was recorded to be 64.19, 50.31, and 45.09% for PS, PP, SR, respectively in comparison to PVC after 48 h using XTT [2,3-bis(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)2H-tetrazolium-carboxanilide] tetrazolium reduction assay. Exopolysaccharides (EPS) production during biofilm formation, when assessed using acetone precipitation technique, was found to be 11.45, 9.41, 8.65 and 6.95 <img src='/image/spc_char/micro.gif' border=0> g/cm² for PVC, PS, PP and SR, respectively. Atomic force microscopic and goniometric analysis showed maximum roughness (134 nm) and hydrophobicity (97°) for PVC. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) studies revealed maximum biofilm thickness (117.5 µm) on PVC surface when analyzed by z-sectioning. Further, the data were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for biofilm growth on these biomaterials. It was observed that PVC as biomaterial is most susceptible for <i style="">C. albicans</i> biofilm formation, while material surface properties like roughness and hydrophobicity promotes <i style="">C. albicans</i> adhesion and biofilm development.