Curcuminoid-Mediated Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy on a Murine Model of Oral Candidiasis

Oral candidiasis is highly prevalent, especially in removable dental processes over years in immunosuppressed individuals. The treatment with antifungals has drawbacks, like recurrence and resistance. So our group has been researching therapeutic alternatives for over 20 years.

As per clinical animal models are as important as the steps prior to clinical trials, we seek to establish a murine model of oral candidiasis. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy, or APDT, is a prompt alternative that may be widely used as an alternative to the current antimicrobial treatments. It requires a combination of photosensitizer, light and oxygen to produce antimicrobial effects against a broad spectrum of oral microorganisms, including those resistant to conventional medications.

Curcumin could be a promising photosensitizer against candida biofilms. However, it is a hydrophobic polyphenol with low solubility in water and bioavailability. Thus, studies have been conducted to enhance the efficacy of curcumin mediated APDT by using drug delivery systems or associating the photosensitizer with antimicrobial peptides.

The extensive use of antifungals has resulted in the global emergence of resistance in candida species, and subsequent treatment failures. Thus controlling candida biofilms and combat antifungal resistance by photodynamic action has been our main focus of research. The murine model of oral candidiasis we developed can be used to evaluate the pathogenesis of oral infections by candida albicans, and the efficacy of alternative antifungal approaches.

We used the model to evaluate the efficacy of APDT mediated by a water soluble curcuminoid compound.