The American Foulbrood Disease (AFB) is a fatal larval bee infection. The etiologic agent is the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae. The treatment involves incineration of all contaminated materials, leading to high losses. The Glycerol Monolaurate (GML) is a known antimicrobial potential compound, however its use is reduced due to its low solubility in water and high melting point. The nanoencapsulation of some drugs offers several advantages like improved stability and solubility in water. The present study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity against P. larvae and the toxicity in bees of GML nanoparticles. The nanocapsules were produced and presented mean diameter of 210 nm, polydispersity index of 0.044, and zeta potential of -23.4 mV demonstrating the acceptable values to predict a stable system. The microdilution assay showed that it is necessary 142 and 285 μg/mL of GML nanocapsules to obtain a bacteriostatic and bactericidal effect respectively. The time-kill curve showed the controlled release of compound, exterminating the microorganism after 24 h. The GML nanocapsules were able to kill the spore form of Paenibacillus larvae while the GML do not cause any effect. The assay in bees showed that the GML has a high toxicity while the GML nanoparticles showed a decrease on toxic effects. Concluding, the formulation shows positive results in the action to combat AFB besides not causing damage to bees.
Candida albicans does not only occur in the free living planktonic form but also grows in surface-attached biofilm communities. Moreover, these biofilms appear to be the most common lifestyle and are involved in the majority of human Candida infections. Nanoparticles can be used as an alternative to conventional antimicrobial agents and can also act as carriers for antibiotics and other drugs. In view of this, the aim of the study was develop, characterize and verify the anti-biofilm potential of GML Nanocapsules against C. albicans. The GML Nanocapsules showed mean diameter of 193.2 nm, polydispersion index of 0.044, zeta potential of -23.3 mV and pH 6.32. The microdilution assay showed MIC of 15.5 μg mL(-1) to GML Nanocapsules and 31.25 μg mL(-1) to GML. The anti-biofilm assay showed the significantly reduction of biomass of C. albicans biofilm treated with GML Nanocapsules while the GML does not exhibit effect. The kinetic assay demonstrated that at 48 h, the GML Nanocapsules reduce 94% of formed biofilm. The positive results suggest the promisor alternative for this public health problem that is biofilm infections.
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