Methylcellulose Hydrogel with Essential Oil as a Potential Treatment for Oral Candidiasis.

spp. are the most prevalent fungi of the human microbiota and are opportunistic pathogens that can cause oral candidiasis. Management of such infections is limited due to the low number of antifungal drugs available, their relatively high toxicity and the emergence of antifungal resistance. Therefore, much interest in the antimicrobial potential of natural compounds has recently been evident. The use of hydrogels in the delivery of biocides has been explored due to their biocompatibility, ease with drug encapsulation, and due to their potential to confer mechanical and structural properties similar to biological tissue. Methylcellulose hydrogels (10% (/)) with 1% (/) and 2% (/) oil were synthesised. The rheological properties and gelation time of the hydrogels were evaluated. Antimicrobial action, the antifungal potential and ability to displace were determined. Rheological tests revealed that the hydrogel jellified in three minutes at 37 °C. Loaded hydrogels successfully inhibited growth as evident by zone of inhibition and time-kill assays. A significant reduction in retained was demonstrated with the hydrogel at 2% concentration. This work demonstrated that an essential oil-loaded hydrogel had the potential to provide a novel antimicrobial therapy for the treatment of oral candidiasis.