Candida tropicalis is an emerging non-albicans Candida species which is pathogenic to the immune-compromised humans, especially in tropical countries, including India. The acquired resistance of Candida species towards antifungal therapies is of major concern. Moreover, limited efficacy and dosage constraint of synthetic drugs have indicated the prerequisite of finding new and natural drugs for treatment. In the present study, we have compared the influence of citral and thymol on C. tropicalis and its biofilm along with expression levels of certain antifungal tolerance genes. The antifungal and anti-biofilm activities of the both were studied using 2,3-bis(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide sodium salt (XTT) reduction assay, field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. Citral and thymol have damaged the cells with distorted surface and less viability. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed augmented expression of the cell membrane biosynthesis genes including ERG11/CYT450 against citral and the cell wall related tolerance genes involving CNB1 against thymol thus, depicting their differential mode of actions.
Keywords: Candida tropicalis; biofilm; citral; thymol.