The emergence of non-Candida albicans Candida (NCAC) species as a common cause of fungal infection is often
associated with the increasing number of immunocompromised patients, the widespread use of indwelling
medical devices and the decreased susceptibility to azoles. The ability of Candida species to adapt to a variety
of different habitats and to form biofilms is also of major contribution to this increased incidence. Thus, the
aim of this work was to study the influence of the antifungal agent itraconazole on the matrix composition of
Candida glabrata biofilms.
Biofilms of Candida glabrata vaginalstrain 534784 were formed in 6-well plates for 24h. Then, fresh RPMI1640/
MOPS medium (control biofilms) and itraconazole (256μg/mL) were added to the previously formed 24h
biofilms. After 48h of exposure to these components, biofilms were scraped from the 6-well plates and the
extracellular matrix extracted by sonication. The protein and carbohydrate content of the biofilm matrix
were determined using a BCA kit and the Dubois method, respectively. The analysis of matrix composition of
biofilms exposed to itraconazole showed an increase in both protein and carbohydrate content comparatively
to the control.
The results indicate that the presence of itraconazole leads to an increase in the production of extracellular
matrix components in Candida glabrata biofilms
