Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Mar 11;14(1):5855.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-56512-5.

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

Sedigheh Azadi  1 , Esmat Azizipour  2 , Ali Mohammad Amani  3 , Ahmad Vaez  4 , Zahra Zareshahrabadi  5 , Alireza Abbaspour  6 , Tahereh Firuzyar  7 , Hengameh Dortaj  8 , Hesam Kamyab  9   10   11 , Shreeshivadasan Chelliapan  12 , Sareh Mosleh-Shirazi  13
Affiliations

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

Sedigheh Azadi et al. Sci Rep. .

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.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Preparation process of Fe3O4@SiO2/Schiff-base/Cu(II) MNPs.
Figure 2
Figure 2
FT-IR spectra of (a) Fe3O4, (b) Fe3O4@SiO2, (c) Schiff-base ligand, (d) Schiff-base/Cu(II) and (e) Fe3O4@SiO2/Schiff-base/Cu(II); XRD patterns of (f) Fe3O4, (g) Fe3O4@SiO2, and (h) Fe3O4@SiO2/Schiff-base/Cu(II).
Figure 3
Figure 3
TEM images of (a) Fe3O4, (b) Fe3O4@SiO2 and (c) Fe3O4@SiO2/Schiff-base/Cu(II); SEM images of (d) Fe3O4, (e) Fe3O4@SiO2 and (f) Fe3O4@SiO2/Schiff-base/Cu(II); particle size distributions of (g) Fe3O4, (h) Fe3O4@SiO2, and (i) Fe3O4@SiO2/Schiff-base/Cu(II).
Figure 4
Figure 4
EDX spectra of (a) Fe3O4 (b) Fe3O4@SiO2 and (c) Fe3O4@SiO2/Schiff-base/Cu(II).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Map images of the elements (C, N, O, Si, Fe, and Cu) in Fe3O4@SiO2/Schiff-base/Cu(II).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Magnetization curves of (a) Fe3O4, (b) Fe3O4@SiO2, and (c) Fe3O4@SiO2/Schiff-base/Cu(II), (d) magnetic characteristic image of Fe3O4@SiO2/Schiff-base/Cu(II); TGA spectra of (e) Fe3O4, (f) Fe3O4@SiO2 and (g) Fe3O4@SiO2/Schiff-base/Cu(II).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Zeta potential of Fe3O4@SiO2/Schiff-base/Cu(II) MNPs.
Figure 8
Figure 8
The MIC amounts of Fe3O4@SiO2/Schiff-base/Cu(II) MNPs treating with Candida species.
Figure 9
Figure 9
(a) Fungal cell structure, (b) antifungal activity of Fe3O4@SiO2/Schiff-base/Cu(II) MNPs and plausible disruption of cell structure.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Cell viability (MTT assay): (a) the proliferation of control and different concentrations of samples during the incubation times of the first, third, and fifth day, (b) representation of cell plates with different concentrations.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ayanwale AP, Estrada-Capetillo BL, Reyes-López SY. Evaluation of antifungal activity by mixed oxide metallic nanocomposite against Candida spp. Processes. 2021;9:773–787. doi: 10.3390/pr9050773. - DOI
    1. Garcia-Marin LE, Juarez-Moreno K, Vilchis-Nestor AR, Castro-Longoria E. Highly antifungal activity of biosynthesized copper oxide nanoparticles against Candida albicans. Nanomater. 2022;12:3856–3870. doi: 10.3390/nano12213856. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Akturk A, Güler FK, Taygun ME, Goller G, Küçükbayrak S. Synthesis and antifungal activity of soluble starch and sodium alginate capped copper nanoparticles. Mater. Res. Express. 2019;6:1250–1263. doi: 10.1088/2053-1591/ab677e. - DOI
    1. Padmavathi AR, et al. Impediment to growth and yeast-to-hyphae transition in Candida albicans by copper oxide nanoparticles. Biofouling. 2020;36:56–72. doi: 10.1080/08927014.2020.1715371. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Muñoz-Escobar A, Reyes-López SY. Antifungal susceptibility of Candida species to copper oxide nanoparticles on polycaprolactone fibers (PCL-CuONPs) PLOS ONE. 2020;15:e0228864–e0228875. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228864. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Supplementary concepts