and evaluation of the antifungal activity of fluoxetine combined with antifungals against biofilms and oral candidiasis.

biofilms are responsible for oral candidiasis. Fluoxetine is a widely used antidepressant, with certain anti- activities. The antifungal activity of fluoxetine combined with various antifungals against biofilms and oral candidiasis was evaluated in this study. The morphological change in the inhibition of fluoxetine on biofilms was observed using SEM. The interactions between fluoxetine and antifungals against biofilms were evaluated using microdilution checkerboard methods, FICI and the ΔE model. The synergistic combination was tested on the mice model of oral candidiasis. SEM imaging showed fluoxetine inhibited hyphal growth and biofilm formation. Fluoxetine combined with caspofungin exhibited synergistic effects against biofilms. Antagonistic effects occurred when fluoxetine was combined with amphotericin B or terbinafine. Further, the fluoxetine combined with caspofungin significantly reduced the lesion score and CFU of on the murine tongue ( < 0.05), and relieved oral candidiasis of the infected mice.