ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF GRAPE SEED EXTRACT MEDIATED TITANIUM OXIDE NANOPARTICLES AGAINST Candida albicans: AN In vitro STUDY

Background: In today’s age, the incidence of local and systemic fungal diseases has increased due to a rise of new and fatal immunodeficiency diseases as well as immune-suppressive therapy due to which there is a heightened increase in the use of antifungal drugs which have significant side effects. Nanotechnology is rapidly growing in various fields of science. Aim: To determine the antifungal activity of grape seed-mediated titanium dioxide nanoparticles against Candida albicans. Materials and Methods: The collected grape seeds were powdered and stored in an airtight container. 1 g of grape seed extract was mixed with 100 ml of distilled water and was boiled for 15 minutes. The solution was filtered, to which 20 ml of distilled water was added. To this solution 0.862 g of titanium dioxide was added and was subjected to constant stirring until the formation of white suspension. This was centrifuged for 10 minutes and the antifungal property against Candida albicans was assessed. Results: The peak found at 650 nm in the UV spectroscopy indicates the formation of titanium dioxide nanoparticles. From the study it was found that with the increase in the concentration of the grape seed mediated titanium dioxide nanoparticles, the zone of inhibition against C. albicans was increased. The highest zone of inhibition obtained was 12 mm at 150 microliters. Conclusion: The antifungal activity of grape seed mediated titanium dioxide nanoparticles was studied and their wider zones of inhibition were suggestive of good antifungal activity.