Original Article
Inhibition of Candida albicans biofilm by pure selenium nanoparticles synthesized by pulsed laser ablation in liquids

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nano.2016.10.011Get rights and content

Abstract

Selenoproteins play an important role in the human body by accomplishing essential biological functions like oxido-reductions, antioxidant defense, thyroid hormone metabolism and immune response; therefore, the possibility to synthesize selenium nanoparticles free of any contaminants is exciting for future nano-medical applications. This paper reports the first synthesis of selenium nanoparticles by femtosecond pulsed laser ablation in de-ionized water. Those pure nanoparticles have been successfully used to inhibit the formation of Candida albicans biofilms. Advanced electron microscopy images showed that selenium nanoparticles easily adhere on the biofilm, then penetrate into the pathogen, and consequently damage the cell structure by substituting with sulfur. 50% inhibition of Candida albicans biofilm was obtained at only 25 ppm. Finally, the two physical parameters proved to affect strongly the viability of Candida albicans are the crystallinity and particle size.

Graphical Abstract

Sequence of a three steps mechanism displaying the interaction between pure selenium nanoparticles and Candida albicans biofilm.

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Section snippets

Materials and synthesis

One requirement for nanomaterials to be used in medical applications is to have the surface of the nanomaterial free of any contamination, including residual chemicals from the synthesis process. This is the main advantage of synthesizing nanoparticles by Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquids (PLAL). It is known that selenium can have different allotropic structures: trigonal, monoclinic (α-, β-), cubic (α-, β-), rhombohedric, ortho-rhombic and amorphous.26 However, the most common allotropic phases

Synthesis of Se NPs and laser-induced bubbles

Shortly after the irradiation begins, a “screening” bubble appears at the surface of the pellet centered at the location where the laser beam is incident to the surface of the target, (Figure 1). In PLAL, the process through which matter is ejected from the target directly depends on the pulse duration, irradiance and target properties. For a nanosecond pulse, it occurs via electron–phonon relaxation whereas for a femtosecond pulse it occurs mainly via photo-fragmentation.34 However, due to the

Discussion

Microbial colonization of medical devices is a widespread problem responsible of nosocomial infections.50 Once in use, the colonized medical devices can be difficult to treat if the opportunistic pathogen had developed resistance to antibiotics. This is especially true for C. albicans, a well-known pathogen, responsible of a variety of infections especially to immunocompromised patients (including HIV-infected and cancer patients).51 Indeed, C. albicans form generally a biofilm that protects

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      Citation Excerpt :

      SNP improves antibiotics' ability to adhere to cell membranes when administered together with other antibiotics and block the budding process. SNP has showed the properties of a biofilm inhibitor (Artunduaga Bonilla et al., 2017; Guisbiers et al., 2017). The nanoparticles’ dimension strongly influences their antimicrobial potential, smaller the size the greater the effect.

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    Funding: This work was supported by the San Antonio Area Foundation Biomedical Research Grants Program and the National Institutes of Health [grant numbers G12MD007591, NIH/NIGMS RISE GM60655].

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