Study of the Chemical Profile and Anti-Fungal Activity against <i>Candida auris</i> of <i>Cinnamomum cassia</i> Essential Oil and of Its Nano-Formulations Based on Polycaprolactone

Background: <i>Candida auris</i> represents an emerging pathogen that results in nosocomial infections and is considered a serious global health problem. The aim of this work was to evaluate the in vitro antifungal efficacy of <i>Cinnamomum cassia</i> essential oil (CC-EO) pu...

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Main Authors: Roberto Rosato, Edoardo Napoli, Giuseppe Granata, Maura Di Vito, Stefania Garzoli, Corrada Geraci, Silvia Rizzo, Riccardo Torelli, Maurizio Sanguinetti, Francesca Bugli
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-01-01
Series:Plants
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/12/2/358
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Summary:Background: <i>Candida auris</i> represents an emerging pathogen that results in nosocomial infections and is considered a serious global health problem. The aim of this work was to evaluate the in vitro antifungal efficacy of <i>Cinnamomum cassia</i> essential oil (CC-EO) pure or formulated in polycaprolactone (PCL) nanoparticles against ten clinical strains of <i>C. auris</i>. Methods: nanoparticles of PCL were produced using CC-EO (nano-CC-EO) and cinnamaldehyde (CIN) through the nanoprecipitation method. The chemical profile of both CC-EO and nano-CC-EO was evaluated using SPME sampling followed by GC-MS analysis. Micro-broth dilution tests were performed to evaluate both fungistatic and fungicidal effectiveness of CC-EO and CIN, pure and nano-formulated. Furthermore, checkerboard tests to evaluate the synergistic action of CC-EO or nano-CC-EO with micafungin or fluconazole were conducted. Finally, the biofilm disrupting activity of both formulations was evaluated. Results: GC-MS analysis shows a different composition between CC-EO and nano-CC-EO. Moreover, the microbiological analyses do not show any variation in antifungal effectiveness either towards the planktonic form (MIC<sub>CC-EO</sub> = 0.01 ± 0.01 and MIC<sub>nano-CC-EO</sub> = 0.02 ± 0.01) or the biofilm form. No synergistic activity with the antifungal drugs tested was found. Conclusions: both CC-EO and nano-CC-EO show the same antimicrobial effectiveness and are potential assets in the fight against <i>C. auris.</i>
ISSN:2223-7747