Antifungal activity of Fe3O4@SiO2/Schiff-base/Cu(II) magnetic nanoparticles against pathogenic Candida species

Sedigheh Azadi; Esmat Azizipour; Ali Mohammad Amani; Ahmad Vaez; Zahra Zareshahrabadi; Alireza Abbaspour; Tahereh Firuzyar; Hengameh Dortaj; Hesam Kamyab; Shreeshivadasan Chelliapan; Sareh Mosleh-Shirazi

doi:10.1038/s41598-024-56512-5

Antifungal activity of Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/Schiff-base/Cu(II) magnetic nanoparticles against pathogenic Candida species

Sci Rep. 2024 Mar 11;14(1):5855. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-56512-5.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical Nanotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. sedigheh.azadi1987@gmail.com.
² Department of Medical Nanotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
³ Department of Medical Nanotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. amani_a@sums.ac.ir.
⁴ Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
⁵ Basic Sciences in Infectious Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
⁶ School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
⁷ Department of Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
⁸ Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
⁹ Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, UTE University, Calle Rumipamba S/N and Bourgeois, Quito, Ecuador.
¹⁰ Department of Biomaterials, Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, 600077, India.
¹¹ Process Systems Engineering Centre (PROSPECT), Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia.
¹² Department of Engineering and Technology, Razak Faculty of Technology and Informatics, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Jalan Sultan Yahya Petra, 54100, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. shreeshivadasan.kl@utm.my.
¹³ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Shiraz University of Technology, Shiraz, Iran.

Abstract

The antifungal efficacy and cytotoxicity of a novel nano-antifungal agent, the Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/Schiff-base complex of Cu(II) magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), have been assessed for targeting drug-resistant Candida species. Due to the rising issue of fungal infections, especially candidiasis, and resistance to traditional antifungals, there is an urgent need for new therapeutic strategies. Utilizing Schiff-base ligands known for their broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, the Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/Schiff-base/Cu(II) MNPs have been synthesized. The Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/Schiff-base/Cu(II) MNPs was characterized by Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM), and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), demonstrating successful synthesis. The antifungal potential was evaluated against six Candida species (C. dubliniensis, C. krusei, C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis, C. glabrata, and C. albicans) using the broth microdilution method. The results indicated strong antifungal activity in the range of 8-64 μg/mL with the lowest MIC (8 μg/mL) observed against C. parapsilosis. The result showed the MIC of 32 μg/mL against C. albicans as the most common infection source. The antifungal mechanism is likely due to the disruption of the fungal cell wall and membrane, along with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation leading to cell death. The MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay for cytotoxicity on mouse L929 fibroblastic cells suggested low toxicity and even enhanced cell proliferation at certain concentrations. This study demonstrates the promise of Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/Schiff-base/Cu(II) MNPs as a potent antifungal agent with potential applications in the treatment of life-threatening fungal infections, healthcare-associated infections, and beyond.

Keywords: Anti-fungal property; Candida species; Cu(II) Nanoparticles; Cytotoxicity; Microdilution.

MeSH terms

Animals
Antifungal Agents / chemistry
Antifungal Agents / pharmacology
Candida
Candida albicans
Candida parapsilosis
Magnetite Nanoparticles* / chemistry
Mice
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
Mycoses*
Silicon Dioxide / chemistry
Silicon Dioxide / pharmacology
Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared

Substances

Antifungal Agents
Silicon Dioxide
Magnetite Nanoparticles

Supplementary concepts

Candida dubliniensis