Plasma-based strategy for inhibiting Candida albicans growth and CaMCA1 gene expression in vitro and reducing fungal pathogenicity in a murine model of vulvovaginal candidiasis

Effect of cold atmospheric plasma on common oral pathogenic microorganisms: a narrative review

BACKGROUND

The oral microbiota is a diverse and complex community that maintains a delicate balance. When this balance is disturbed, it can lead to acute and chronic infectious diseases such as dental caries and periodontitis, significantly affecting people's quality of life. Developing a new antimicrobial strategy to deal with the increasing microbial variability and resistance is important. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), as the fourth state of matter, has gradually become a hot topic in the field of biomedicine due to its good antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor capabilities. It is expected to become a major asset in the regulation of oral microbiota.

METHODS

We conducted a search in PubMed, Medline, and Wiley databases, focusing on studies related to CAP and oral pathogenic microorganisms. We explored the biological effects of CAP and summarized the antimicrobial mechanisms behind it.

RESULTS

Numerous articles have shown that CAP has a potent antimicrobial effect against common oral pathogens, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, primarily due to the synergy of various factors, especially reactive oxygen and nitrogen species.

CONCLUSIONS

CAP is effective against various oral pathogenic microorganisms, and it is anticipated to offer a new approach to treating oral infectious diseases. The future objective is to precisely adjust the parameters of CAP to ensure safety and efficacy, and subsequently develop a comprehensive CAP treatment protocol. Achieving this objective is crucial for the clinical application of CAP, and further research is necessary.

Cold atmospheric plasma as a promising tool in treatment of Trichophyton rubrum-induced skin infection in a guinea pig model of experimental dermatophytosis

The emergence of high-resistance strains to known antifungal drugs has highlighted the urgency of developing novel therapies for chronic dermatophytosis as a global health problem. An experimental dermatophytosis model in guinea pigs was developed to investigate the in vivo wound healing effects of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) on T. rubrum skin invasion. Guinea pigs were experimentally infected with T. rubrum and wound healing was evaluated at 1, 4, 8 and 12 days post infection in the CAP-treated, terbinafine-treated and non-treated controls. Our results showed that CAP strongly inhibited the fungal virulence in vitro in culture media and in vivo on the skin lesions of experimentally infected guinea pigs even more efficient than that of terbinafine, resulting in complete wound healing at 8 days post infection. These results indicate that CAP would be considered as a promising tool comparable to conventional chemical therapies, for the treatment of drug-resistant chronic dermatophytosis caused by T. rubrum.

Transcriptome analysis of Candida albicans planktonic cells in response to plasma medicine

Introduction. Cold plasma is frequently utilized for the purpose of eliminating microbial contaminants. Under optimal conditions, it can function as plasma medicine for treating various diseases, including infections caused by Candida albicans, an opportunistic pathogen that can overgrow in individuals with weakened immune system.Gap Statement. To date, there has been less molecular study on cold plasma-treated C. albicans.Research Aim. The study aims to fill the gap in understanding the molecular response of C. albicans to cold plasma treatment.Methodology. This project involved testing a cold plasma generator to determine its antimicrobial effectiveness on C. albicans' planktonic cells. Additionally, the cells' transcriptomics responses were investigated using RNA sequencing at various treatment durations (1, 3 and 5 min).Results. The results show that our cold plasma effectively eliminates C. albicans. Cold plasma treatment resulted in substantial downregulation of important pathways, such as 'nucleotide metabolism', 'DNA replication and repair', 'cell growth', 'carbohydrate metabolism' and 'amino acid metabolism'. This was an indication of cell cycle arrest of C. albicans to preserve energy consumption under unfavourable conditions. Nevertheless, C. albicans adapted its GSH antioxidant system to cope with the oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species, reactive nitrogen species and other free radicals. The treatment likely led to a decrease in cell pathogenicity as many virulence factors were downregulated.Conclusion. The study demonstrated the major affected pathways in cold plasma-treated C. albicans, providing valuable insights into the molecular response of C. albicans to cold plasma treatment. The findings contribute to the understanding of the antimicrobial efficiency of cold plasma and its potential applications in the field of microbiology.

Anti-dermatophytic activity of cold atmospheric plasma against Trichophyton rubrum via affecting fungal growth, morphology, drug susceptibility and HSP90 gene expression

Trichophyton rubrum, a major human pathogenic dermatophyte, is responsible for the most recurrent dermatophytoses as globally important superficial fungal infections. Typical chemotherapy is used to handle such infections; however, emerging drug resistance and side effects necessitate the new remedial method development. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is an emerging technology, consisted of neutral and charged particles and photons newly developed as a potent and safe antimicrobial technique to combat drug-resistant microbial pathogens. In the present study, the vast effects of CAP irradiation containing oxygen (2%) and helium (98%) on T. rubrum growth and pathogenicity were explored. After exposure of T. rubrum to CAP jet for 90, 120, 150, 180, and 210 s in 96-well microtiter plates, cell morphology and viability, ergosterol content of fungal hyphae, HSP90 gene expression, and the pattern of drug susceptibility were studied by using electron microscopy, RT-qPCR, spectrophotometry, disk diffusion and CLSI microbroth dilution methods. CAP irradiation significantly inhibited the fungal growth by 25.83 to 89.10%, reduced fungal cell viability by 11.68 to 87.71%, disrupted cellular membranous organelles and structures of the fungal hyphae, and suppressed efficiently the expression of HSP90 gene by 2 folds in 210 s exposure. Taken together, our results demonstrated that CAP is an efficient tool with potential in-vivo therapeutic applications against chronic dermatophytosis caused by T. rubrum due to its effectiveness, harmless, and ease of access.