Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300Morris Park Ave, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
J Infect Dis. 2010 May 1;201(9):1436-40. doi: 10.1086/651558.
Candida species are a major cause of catheter infections. Using a central venous catheter Candida albicans biofilm model, we demonstrated that chitosan, a polymer isolated from crustacean exoskeletons, inhibits candidal biofilm formation in vivo. Furthermore, chitosan statistically significantly decreased both the metabolic activity of the biofilms and the cell viability of C. albicans and Candida parapsilosis biofilms in vitro. In addition, confocal and scanning electron microscopic examination demonstrated that chitosan penetrates candidal biofilms and damages fungal cells. Importantly, the concentrations of chitosan that were used to evaluate fungal biofilm susceptibility were not toxic to human endothelial cells. Chitosan should be considered for the prevention or treatment of fungal biofilms on central venous catheters and perhaps other medical devices.
念珠菌属是导管感染的主要原因。我们使用中心静脉导管白色念珠菌生物膜模型证明，壳聚糖是一种从甲壳类动物外骨骼中分离出的聚合物，可抑制体内念珠菌生物膜的形成。此外，壳聚糖在体外还可显著降低白色念珠菌和近平滑念珠菌生物膜的代谢活性和细胞活力。此外，共聚焦和扫描电子显微镜检查表明壳聚糖可穿透念珠菌生物膜并破坏真菌细胞。重要的是，用于评估真菌生物膜易感性的壳聚糖浓度对人内皮细胞没有毒性。壳聚糖可用于预防或治疗中心静脉导管和其他医疗器械上的真菌生物膜。
