In vitro cariogenic potential of Candida albicans

Abstract

The adherence and dissociation of Candida albicans, C. tropicalis, Streptococcus mutans and S. sanguis to six substrates including hydroxylapatite (HAP) which exhibit various hydrophobicity, was examined by the use of a bioluminescent adenosine triphosphate (ATP) assay. Dissolution of HAP by C. albicans or S. mutans was determined spectrophotometrically by the use of o-cresolphthalein complexone. In the adherence of C. tropicalis, S. mutans and S. sanguis, the amount of adherent cells correlated with the hydrophobicity of the substrates. In contrast, the adherence of C. albicans to HAP was extraordinary high, although the adherence of the fungi also correlated with the hydrophobicity of the substrates, except for HAP. The yeasts attached to HAP was effectively removed by high concentration of either phosphate or calcium ions. The amount of calcium-release from HAP caused by C. albicans and S. mutans was 113 microg ml(-1) (final pH = 3.45), and 5.4 microg ml(-1) (final pH 4.81), respectively and the maximum growth of C. albicans and S. mutans was 10(7) cfu ml(-1) and 7.4 x 10(12) cfu ml(-1), respectively. The results, taken together, suggest that C. albicans adhere to HAP specifically through electrostatic interaction, and that, in a much smaller number (1.0/7.4 x 10(5)), C. albicans possesses the ability to dissolve HAP to a greater extent (approximately 20-fold) when compared with S. mutans.

Occurrence and predisposing factors associated to the genus Candida in children

“…there was a higher isolation of C. albicans when the number of teeth with caries increased. This fact suggests that the yeast has an important role in caries Occurrence and predisposing factors associated to the genus Candida in children etiology and development as also reported by Nikawa et al 2 who showed the cariogenic potential of the yeast in vitro.…”

“…Approximately half of the healthy adult population hosts these yeasts in the oral cavity, where they colonize the tongue, the palate, the tonsils, the labial and cheek mucosa, caries, radicular canals and periodontal pockets. They can also be found in the dental and gingival biofilm interface 2,3,4,5 . These unicellular yeasts do not generally trigger pathological processes, but under certain circumstances the biological balance can be disrupted allowing the yeasts to adhere to the epithelium, invade the connective gingival tissue, trigger virulent factors and induce inflammatory processes 5,6 .…”

Analysis of the in vitro adherence of Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans

“…Given that C. albicans has efficient adherence mechanisms, its colonization of the oral environment might represent a predisposing factor favoring its interaction with S. mutans, as has been suggested by several authors (1,23,26,35). Most studies on the in vitro interaction between two microorganisms use either reference strains or isolates from different hosts (6,(24)(25)(26). The use of isolates from hosts colonized by both microorganisms can be a starting point to future findings in specific populations.…”

“…The presence of C. albicans has already been recorded in caries lesions, as well as its capacity to invade mouth tissues and artificial materials such as acrylic, which is used in several types of dental prostheses (1,3,7,20,22,26).…”

“…In addition, the capacity of tissue invasion and adhesion to artificial materials such as probes, latex catheters, and several types of plastic material are responsible for causing important infections (34). In the case of dental biofilms, its role in coaggregation with S. mutans during the mechanisms of microbial adherence to the dental surface has been the focus of research (2,13,26,32,35). In addition, the adherence to acrylic prostheses has been often investigated (7,19,21,22,29,31).…”