Poly Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid (PLGA) uptake by Candida albicans cells as biodegradable controlled drug delivery carrier

P474 Poly Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid (PLGA) uptake by Candida albicans cells as biodegradable controlled drug delivery carrier OLGA Kolesova, Giovanna Simonetti, Livia Donati, Gabriella Pasqua, ALESSIO Valletta, LAURA Chronopoulou, CLEOFE Palocci Sapienza University of Rome, ROME, Italy Objective: Polymeric nanoparticle-based carriers are promising agents for the delivery of drugs to the site of action. The polymeric matrix can be of natural or synthetic origin. Natural polymers are usually preferred thanks to their biocompatibility, biodegradability and non-toxicity. An efficient drug delivery requires either high cellular adhesion or uptake of the nanoparticles and release of the drug from the nanoparticles. The aim of this study was to investigate the cellular adhesion and uptake of poly(lactic- co-glycolic) acid nanoparticles (PLGA NPs) on Candida albicans in the yeast and hyphal forms as well as to study the antifungal activity of PLGA NPs Methods: NPs preparation. PLGA NPs of different sizes were prepared by using two different innovative methodologies based on nanoprecipitation. A microfluidic approach was used for the preparation of smaller NPs (∼30 nm) (Chronopoulou et al. Journal of nanoparticle research. 2014), while a patented osmosis-based methodology was used to obtain bigger NPs (∼500 nm) (Chronopoulou et al. Langmuir. 2009). Microscopy analysis. The localization of coumarin 6-loaded PLGA NPs into Candida albicans cells was analyzed with an epifluorescence microscope apparatus. Anti-Candida activity. The activity of PGLA NPs on Candida albicans has been performed according to CLSI protocols with some modifications. Results: Among the tested NPs with different diameters, the smaller ones (∼30 nm) entered into Candida albicans yeast and hyphal forms. The bigger particles (∼500 nm) were localized on the fungal wall, according to the microscopy analysis. The MIC values showed that at the highest concentration tested (3000 μg/mL) the NPs did not inhibit the growth of Candida albicans cells Conclusion: The results provide valuable information concerning the localization of PLGA-based NPs on Candida albicans yeast and hyphal forms. The cellular uptake of PLGA NPs with different sizes has been investigated. It has been shown that the cellular localization is highly dependent upon the dimensions of the NPs, those smaller than 30 nm have shown the best possibility to penetrate Candida albicans cells. The lack of activity of investigated NPs on Candida albicans growth was proved. The cellular interaction or uptake of PLGA NPs by Candida albicans yeast and hyphal forms and lack of toxicity constitute preliminary information for their possible use as drug delivery systems.