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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
Candida albicans Biofilm Chip CaBChip for High-throughput Antifungal Drug Screening
Published on: July 18, 2012
Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) shows strain-dependence against Candida albicans growth on titanium
Ntombizodwa P Zwane1, Isak J van der Walt2, Steve A S Olorunju3
1Lecturer, Dentist, Department of Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Pretoria, South Africa.
Objective:
This study assessed the effect of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) using argon and oxygen on Candida albicans biofilm growth on titanium.
Methods:
Titanium disks were treated with CAP at 10 and 20 min exposure using argon or oxygen plasma. Typical growth from an unspecified clinical Isolate Test Group (TG) (n = 8 for colony forming culture method, n = 8 for biofilm forming method) and resistant (ATCC 10,231) strain Positive Control (PC) (n = 8 for colony forming culture method, n = 8 for biofilm forming method) were tested. Negative Control (NC) was used, which involved plasma-untreated titanium plates (n = 2 for colony-forming culture method, n = 2 for biofilm-forming method). Colony-forming units (CFU) were counted, inactivation rates calculated, and biofilm quantified using optical density at 495 nm (OD495). ANOVA and two-sample tests were applied.
Results:
Oxygen plasma achieved 100% inactivation of TG, while argon plasma showed partial reduction. For resistant PC, oxygen plasma showed no effect, whereas argon achieved up to 99.5% inactivation. ANOVA revealed that group (TG vs PC) was the only significant factor (p = 0.011). Biofilm formation differed significantly between TG and PC (p = 0.014).
Conclusion:
CAP shows strain-specific antifungal activity against C. albicans. Oxygen plasma effectively inhibited TG but not resistant strains, while argon plasma partially reduced both. CAP may have potential as an adjunctive antifungal strategy.
