OLIGOSACCHARIDES IN MILK: EXPLORING NOVEL ANTIFUNGAL PROPERTIES AGAINST CANDIDA ALBICANS AND CANDIDA KRUSEI

Received 2024-02-04; Accepted 2024-06-19; Published 2025-01-02

Abstract

With the increasing antifungal resistance and prevalence of candidiasis, the aim of this research is to evaluate the potential inhibitory effects and synergistic activities of oligosaccharides present in milk with azoles in inhibiting the growth of Candida albicans and Candida krusei. The oligosaccharides were derived from breast milk (OH), bovine (OB), goat (OG), and formula milk (OF), then confirmed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Disk diffusion and microdilution were used to evaluate the antifungal potency of oligosaccharides using disk diffusion and microdilution. The oligosaccharides only showed antifungal activity in microdilution. The statistical analysis showed moderate variability in minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values and higher fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) values. A significantly wide range of MIC in the microdilution assay indicated the effectiveness of this antifungal agent varied across different samples. In the combination test, antagonistic activity was observed between fluconazole and oligosaccharides against C. albicans ATCC 90028. Further research is needed to study the mechanisms of antifungal activity and synergism between oligosaccharides and azoles against Candida species.