Antifungal activities against Candida albicans, of cell-free supernatants obtained from probiotic Pediococcus acidilactici HW01

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the antifungal activities of cell-free supernatants of a probiotic strain, Pediococcus acidilactici HW01, against Candida albicans. Design: C. albicans was cultured in the presence of different concentration of cell-free supernatants obtained from P. acidilactici HW01 (HW01 CFS) and the growth of C. albicans was determined. C. albicans was incubated with HW01 CFS for 24 h and the biofilm formation of C. albicans was determined by staining crystal violet and by using a scanning electron microscope. Biofilm quantification was determined by 2, 3-Bis (2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide (XTT) assay. Results: HW01 CFS inhibited C. albicans growth, whereas bacteriocin, which is a well-known antimicrobial peptide of lactic acid bacteria, failed to inhibit C. albicans growth. Pre-treatment and simultaneous treatment with HW01 CFS exhibited a significant inhibition of C. albicans biofilm. Although post-treatment with HW01 CFS did not disrupt the established biofilm of C. albicans at 3 h-incubation, significant reduced C. albicans biofilm was observed after 6 h-incubation in the presence of HW01 CFS. Conclusion: These results suggested that the CFS from P. acidilactici HW01 was revealed as an effective antifungal agent against C. albicans by reducing the growth and biofilm formation.