Electrochemical Strategy for Eradicating Fluconazole-Tolerant Candida albicans using Implantable Titanium

A persistent problem in modern healthcare derives from the overwhelming presence of antibiotic-resistant microbes on biomaterials, more specifically, fungal growth on metal-based implants. This study seeks to investigate the antifungal properties of low-level electrochemical treatments delivered using titanium electrodes against Candida albicans. We show that C. albicans can be readily controlled with electrical currents/potentials, reducing the number of viable planktonic cells by 99.7% and biofilm cells by 96.0-99.99%. Additionally, this study explores the ability of the electrochemical treatments to potentiate fluconazole, a clinically used antifungal drug. We have found that electrochemical treatment substantially enhances fluconazole killing activity. While fluconazole alone exhibits a low efficiency against the stationary phase and biofilms C. albicans cells, complete eradication corresponding to 7-log killing is achieved when the antifungal drug is provided subsequently to the electrochemical treat...