Photodynamic activity of nanostructured fabrics grafted with xanthene and thiazine dyes against opportunistic fungi.

Fungi are an important class of human pathogens for which considerable research has gone into defeating them. The photodynamic effects of rose bengal (RB), phloxine B (PB), azure A (AA), and toluidine blue O (TBO) dyes to inhibit Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Trichoderma viride, Penicillium funiculosum, and Chaetomium globosum were investigated grafted to nano- and micro-structured fabrics. Three antifungal tests conducted: broth microdilution test of free dyes, zone of inhibition and quantitative antifungal assays on fabrics grafted with dyes. In the broth microdilution test, free RB displayed the lowest MIC at 32 μM to inhibit visible hyphal growth and germination but the antifungal ability of MIC for other photosensitizers below 63 μM was insignificant. RB and PB showed lower MIC than AA and TBO. In the inhibition zone tests, nanostructured fabrics grafted with RB and PB did not display fungal growth on the surface. Most microstructured fabrics grafted with AA and TBO showed little inhibition. In quantitative antifungal assay, nanostructured fabrics grafted with RB has the largest inhibition rate on T. viride and the lowest inhibition rate on P. funiculosum and the results showed the increasing inhibition rate in the order of AA < TBO < PB < RB.