Anti-fungal effects of slightly acidic electrolyzed water on Candida species.

OBJECTIVES

Slightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) is produced by electrolyzing 2-6% diluted hydrochloric acid in a membrane-less chamber, resulting in 5.0-6.5 pH, and can be applied to various foods as a disinfectant. Although SAEW has shown to have bactericidal activity, the details of its anti-fungal effects towards Candida species remain unknown. Therefore, we examined the fungicidal effects of SAEW on Candida spp. and biofilms on acrylic resins.

METHODS

The fungicidal effects of SAEW on Candida spp. at different reaction times and total numbers of colonies in culture plates were examined. Subsequently, SAEW was added to Candida spp. biofilms formed on polystyrene plates, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in SAEW was measured to examine its fungicidal effects towards Candida spp. biofilms. The fungicidal effect of SAEW on Candida spp. biofilms was determined by counting the number of colonies on the acrylic resin after adding SAEW.

RESULTS

SAEW completely killing activity within 1 min with the tested Candida spp. C. albicans and C. glabrata ATP were increased 5 min after adding SAEW compared with the controls, suggesting the removal of biofilm. Of the C. albicans on acrylic resin, >99.9%were killed by SAEW compared to their levels in deionized distilled water (DW) (76.2 × 102/mL and 43.3 × 102/mL, respectively). Similarly, 93.1% of C. glabrata were killed by SAEW compared to DW (159.3x102/mL).

CONCLUSIONS

SAEW may be useful in preventing oral candidiasis as part of oral care.