Biofilm

Fungi of the Candida genus can be responsible for serious skin infections, especially as biofilms. To find an alternative treatment method for fungal biofilms, chitosan-gold nanoparticles were coupled with the quorum sensing molecule Tyrosol in the study presented here.

Fungal infection with Candida of dentures is a common complication. The adhesion of microorganisms such as Candida is influenced by material properties such as surface charge, hydrophobicity and roughness. The formation of oral biofilms is associated with caries, periodontitis or denture stomatitis. It is therefore important to prevent the formation of biofilms, also because antifungal agents are of little help.
The polymer polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) is widely used for denture fabrication due to its biocompatibility, but it is susceptible to biofilm formation. Therefore, research into strategies to endow dentures with antifungal properties is important.

166 articles about chitosan were published in May 2015. In the rank of nations scientists from China gained with 39 publications the leading position, followed by India (16), the US (12) and Italy (11). The research priorities focused on nanoparticles, evaluation studies and pharmaceutical preparations.