Abstract:Candida biofilm development can be influenced by diverse factors such as substrate, culture medium, carbohydrate source and pH. We have analyzed biofilm formation of Candida albicans SC5314 and Candida glabrata ATCC2001 wild type strains in the presence of different media (RPMI-1640 versus YNB) and using different pH values (pH 5.6 or 7.0). We determined adhesion and biofilm formation on polystyrene, changes in the expression of adhesin genes during these processes and the susceptibility of mature biofilms to echinocandins. Biofilms formed on polystyrene by both Candida spp. proved to be strongly influenced by the composition of the medium rather than pH. C. albicans and C. glabrata formed thicker biofilms in RPMI-1640 whereas in YNB medium, both species manifested adhesion rather than characteristic multilayer biofilm architecture. The stimulated biofilm formation in RPMI-1640 at pH 7.0 corroborated positively with an increased expression of adhesin genes, essential to biofilm formation in vitro, including ALS3 and EAP1 in C. albicans and EPA6 in C. glabrata. The thicker biofilms in the RPMI-1640 medium were more tolerant to caspofungin and anidulafungin compared to YNB-grown biofilms. We also observed that mature C. glabrata biofilms were less susceptible in RPMI-1640 to echinocandins compared to C. albicans. Environmental conditions, i.e. media and pH can significantly affect not only biofilm architecture but also the expression profile of several genes involved during the different stages of biofilm development. In addition, the growth conditions may also influence the antifungal susceptibility profile of fungal populations within biofilm structures. Therefore, before any experimental biofilm set up, it is important to consider the potential influence of external environmental factors on Candida spp. biofilm development.

Status: Published Type: Journal Article PubMed ID: 21566087

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