Synergic effect of photodynamic therapy with methylene blue and surfactants in the inhibition of Candida albicans.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been originally developed for the treatment of cancer, but it has been successfully employed in the treatment of infectious diseases, including fungal infections. Surfactants are amphiphilic compounds that also have antifungal properties. The present work demonstrates the synergic effect of PDT with methylene blue (MB) and LED combined with four different surfactants in the killing of Candida albicans. Subinhibitory concentrations of CTAC, HPS, SDS and Triton X-100 were tested with MB PDT. The combined therapies proved to be more efficient than PDT or surfactants separately. The best results were obtained with CTAC and HPS and PDT with MB at the concentration of 32 μg/mL. In conclusion, the combination of surfactants and PDT is an alternative antifungal treatment that can achieve more effective performance with minimal discomfort to the patient.