Chemically engineered nano selective silver shapes: Novel synthesis and their potential activity as anti-candida agents

Oral candidiasis (OC) is an infection of oral mucosa caused by fungal overgrowth, especially Candida albicans due to its ability to form biofilms and the increased expression of virulence factors. In the present study, Ag Nano sphere & Ag Nano triangle were newly synthesized using Juniperus drupacea L leaves extract to combat the OC infections. Ag Nano sphere & Ag Nano triangle antifungal activity, mechanism of action against OC, and cytotoxic effect in L929 (ATCC CCL-1 NCTC) fibroblast cell monolayers were evaluated. The J. drupacea phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of three major compounds: alpha-pinene (34.27 %), thymol methylether (15.20 %) and camphor (9.01 %). The proposed synthesis approach includes the reduction of Ag+ by Juniperus drupacea L leaves extract to form Ag Nano spheres. One the other hand, the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in the reaction mixture led to obtaining Ag Nano triangle shapes. The minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC) and minimal biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) assays revealed the higher antifungal effect of Ag Nano sphere when compared to Ag Nano triangle. MFC of Ag Nano sphere and Nano triangle reached 62.5 and 125 mu g/mL respectively. While MBECs were ranged between 4 and 32 and 16-64 mu g/mL upon using Ag Nano sphere and Nano triangle respectively. The possible mechanism of action of the synthesized Ag Nano shapes was the attributed to the direct effect on the cell membrane especially after 6 h incubation. In vitro cytotoxic effect of the prepared Ag-Nano sphere on cell proliferation using L929 (ATCC CCL-1 NCTC) fibroblast cell monolayers suggested the Ag-Nano spheres are safe for possible biomedical application.