Molecules and Metabolites from Natural Products as Inhibitors of Biofilm in Candida spp. pathogens

Background: Biofilm is a critical virulence factor associated with the strains of Candida spp. pathogens as it confers significant resistance to the pathogen against antifungal drugs.

Methods: A systematic review of the literature was undertaken by focusing on natural products, which have been reported to inhibit biofilms produced by Candida spp. The databases explored were from PubMed and Google Scholar. The abstracts and full text of the manuscripts from the literature were analyzed and included if found significant.

Results: Medicinal plants from the order Lamiales, Apiales, Asterales, Myrtales, Sapindales, Acorales, Poales and Laurales were reported to inhibit the biofilms formed by Candida spp. From the microbiological sources, lactobacilli, Streptomyces chrestomyceticus and Streptococcus thermophilus B had shown the strong biofilm inhibition potential. Further, the diverse nature of the compounds from classes like terpenoids, phenylpropanoid, alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenol, naphthoquinone and saponin was found to be significant in inhibiting the biofilm of Candida spp.

Conclusion: Natural products from both plant and microbial origins have proven themselves as a goldmine for isolating the potential biofilm inhibitors with a specific or multi-locus mechanism of action. Structural and functional characterization of the bioactive molecules from active extracts should be the next line of approach along with the thorough exploration of the mechanism of action for the already identified bioactive molecules.