Affiliations 

  • 1 School of Photoelectric Engineering, Changzhou Institute of Technology, Changzhou 213028, PR China
  • 2 Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai 81310, Johor, Malaysia
  • 3 Suzhou Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Suzhou 215153, PR China
  • 4 Suzhou Amazing Grace Medical Equipment Co., Ltd, Suzhou 215101, PR China
J Med Microbiol, 2024 Jul;73(7).
PMID: 38967406 DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.001841

Abstract

Introduction. Cold plasma is frequently utilized for the purpose of eliminating microbial contaminants. Under optimal conditions, it can function as plasma medicine for treating various diseases, including infections caused by Candida albicans, an opportunistic pathogen that can overgrow in individuals with weakened immune system.Gap Statement. To date, there has been less molecular study on cold plasma-treated C. albicans.Research Aim. The study aims to fill the gap in understanding the molecular response of C. albicans to cold plasma treatment.Methodology. This project involved testing a cold plasma generator to determine its antimicrobial effectiveness on C. albicans' planktonic cells. Additionally, the cells' transcriptomics responses were investigated using RNA sequencing at various treatment durations (1, 3 and 5 min).Results. The results show that our cold plasma effectively eliminates C. albicans. Cold plasma treatment resulted in substantial downregulation of important pathways, such as 'nucleotide metabolism', 'DNA replication and repair', 'cell growth', 'carbohydrate metabolism' and 'amino acid metabolism'. This was an indication of cell cycle arrest of C. albicans to preserve energy consumption under unfavourable conditions. Nevertheless, C. albicans adapted its GSH antioxidant system to cope with the oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species, reactive nitrogen species and other free radicals. The treatment likely led to a decrease in cell pathogenicity as many virulence factors were downregulated.Conclusion. The study demonstrated the major affected pathways in cold plasma-treated C. albicans, providing valuable insights into the molecular response of C. albicans to cold plasma treatment. The findings contribute to the understanding of the antimicrobial efficiency of cold plasma and its potential applications in the field of microbiology.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.