Role of Candida in the bioremediation of pollutants: a review.

The population and modernization of society have increased dramatically from past few decades. In order to meet societal expectations, there has been a massive industrialization and resource exploitation. Anthropogenic practices like disposal of hazardous waste, large carbon footprint release variety of xenobiotic substances into the environment, which endanger the health of the natural ecosystem. Therefore, discovering proper long-term treatment approaches is a global concern. Various physical and chemical approaches are employed to remove contaminants. However, these technologies possess limitations like high cost and low efficacy. Consequently, bioremediation is regarded as one of the most promising remedies to these problems. It creates the option of either totally removing pollutants or transforming them into nonhazardous compounds with the use of natural biological agents. Several microorganisms are being utilized for bioremediation among which yeasts possess benefits such as high biodegradability, ease of cultivation etc. The yeast of Candida genus has the capability to effectively eliminate heavy metal ions, as well as to degrade and emulsify hydrocarbons which makes it a promising candidate for this purpose. The review highlights many potential uses of Candida in various remediation strategies and discusses future directions for research in this field.

Biosurfactant from Candida: sources, classification, and emerging applications.

Biosurfactants are surface-active molecules that are synthesized by many microorganisms like fungi, bacteria, and yeast. These molecules are amphiphilic in nature, possessing emulsifying ability, detergency, foaming, and surface-activity like characteristics. Yeast species belongs to the genus Candida has gained globally enormous interest because of the diverse properties of biosurfactants produced by theme. In contrast to synthetic surfactants, biosurfactants are claimed to be biodegradable and non-toxic which labels them as a potent industrial compound. Biosurfactants produced by this genus are reported to possess certain biological activities, such as anticancer and antiviral activities. They also have potential industrial applications in bioremediation, oil recovery, agricultural, pharmaceutical, biomedical, food, and cosmetic industries. Various species of Candida have been recognized as biosurfactant producers, including Candida petrophilum, Candida bogoriensis, Candida antarctica, Candida lipolytica, Candida albicans, Candida batistae, Candida albicans, Candida sphaerica, etc. These species produce various forms of biosurfactants, such as glycolipids, lipopeptides, fatty acids, and polymeric biosurfactants, which are distinct according to their molecular weights. Herein, we provide a detailed overview of various types of biosurfactants produced by Candida sp., process optimization for better production, and the latest updates on the applications of these biosurfactants.

Pharmaceutical prospects of biosurfactants produced from fungal species.

The development of novel types of biogenic surface-active compounds is of greater interest for combating many diseases and infections. In this respect research and development of biosurfactant has gained immense importance. Substantially, biosurfactant is defined as a class of active amphiphilic chemical compounds that comprise hydrophobic and hydrophilic moieties on their surfaces. It is generally known that many kinds of microorganisms can be used to produce these surfactants or surface-active compounds. Hosting interesting features such as biodegradability, emulsifying/de-emulsifying capacity, low toxicity, and antimicrobial activities; these amphiphilic compounds in recent years have flourished as an ideal replacement for the chemically synthesized surfactant, and also have various commercial attractions. Both bacteria and fungi are the producers of these amphiphilic molecules; however, the pathogenicity of certain bacterial strains has caused a shift in interest toward fungi. Therefore, various fungi species have been reported for the production of biosurfactants amongst which Candida species have been the most studied strains. Biosurfactants uphold desired properties like antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antiadhesion, and anticancer activity which proves them an ideal candidate for the application in various fields like pharmaceutical, gene therapy, medical insertion safety, immunotherapy to fight against many chronic diseases, and so forth. Hence, this review article discusses the pharmaceutical prospects of biosurfactants produced from different fungal species, providing new directions toward the discovery and development of molecules with novel structures and diverse functions for advanced application in the medical field.

Anticancer Biosurfactant-Loaded PLA-PEG Nanoparticles Induce Apoptosis in Human MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Cells.

Despite various advancements in cancer therapies, treating cancer efficiently without side effects is still a major concern for researchers. Anticancer drugs from natural sources need to be explored as a replacement for chemo drugs to overcome their limitations. In our previous studies, isolation, characterization, and anticancer properties of a novel biosurfactant from Candida parapsilosis were reported. In this study, we report the cytotoxicity of the polymeric nanoparticles of this novel biosurfactant toward breast cancer cells. Biosurfactant-encapsulated polymeric nanoparticles of polylactic acid-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLA-PEG) copolymers were synthesized by the double emulsion solvent evaporation method. Folic acid (FA) was used as a targeting ligand to actively deliver the anticancer cargo to the cancer site. The encapsulation efficiency of nanoparticles was observed as 84.9%, and Fickian diffusion was observed as a kinetic model for the release of biosurfactant from nanoparticles. The controlled delivery of the biosurfactant was noticed when encapsulated in PLA-PEG copolymer nanoparticles. Additionally, it was observed that FA enhanced the uptake and cytotoxicity of biosurfactant-loaded nanoparticles in MDA-MB-231 cancer cells compared to biosurfactant-loaded plain nanoparticles. Induction of apoptosis was observed in cancer cells by these nanoparticles. We explore a potential anticancer agent that can be further analyzed for its efficiency and can be used as an alternative tool.