Oligochitosans: antifungal and inhibitory effects on the adhesion of Candida albicans to human buccal epithelial cells

The aim of this study was to investigate the antifungal effect of oligochitosan (low molecular weight chitosan) against Candida albicans and its inhibitory effect on the adhesion of Candida albicans to human buccal epithelial cells. In this In-vitro study, oligochitosan with molecular weights of 3000 Da and 5000 Da, Nystatin, and standard Candida strain (ATCC10231, PTCC5027) were utilized. Solutions of the chitosans in water and solution of Nystatin in dimethyl sulfoxide were prepared. To investigate the synergistic effect, a mixture of chitosan and Nystatin was also examined. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the solutions was determined using the agar dilution technique. Candida adhesion to epithelial cells was measured at five immersion times. The results were analyzed using the Chi-square test for the categorical data and ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post-hoc test for the quantitative data. The results revealed that both oligochitosans had antifungal activity at the same concentrations, with an MIC of 0.25 g/100 cm 3 . The mixture of the chitosans and Nystatin provided solutions with higher antifungal properties, showing a synergistic effect. The oligochitosans, having the advantage of water solubility, showed significant antifungal effect, especially when mixed with Nystatin. The oligochitosans could be promising materials for production of mouthwash solutions.