Candida spp. can adhere to and form biofilms over different surfaces, becoming less susceptible to antifungal treatment. Resistance of biofilms to
antifungal agents is multifactorial and the extracellular matrix (ECM) appears to play an important role. Among the few available antifungals for treatment of candidaemia, only the
lipid formulations of
amphotericin B (AmB) and the
echinocandins are effective against biofilms. Our group has previously demonstrated that
miltefosine has an important effect against Candida albicans biofilms. Thus, the aim of this work was to expand the analyses of the in vitro antibiofilm activity of
miltefosine to non-albicans Candida spp.
Miltefosine had significant antifungal activity against planktonic cells and the development of biofilms of C. albicans, Candida parapsilosis, Candida tropicalis and Candida glabrata. The activity profile in biofilms was superior to
fluconazole and was similar to that of AmB and
caspofungin. Biofilm-derived cells with their ECM extracted became as susceptible to
miltefosine as planktonic cells, confirming the importance of the ECM in the biofilm resistant behaviour.
Miltefosine also inhibited biofilm dispersion of cells at the same concentration needed to inhibit planktonic cell growth. The data obtained in this work reinforce the potent inhibitory activity of
miltefosine on biofilms of the four most pathogenic Candida spp. and encourage further studies for the utilisation of this
drug and/or structural analogues on biofilm-related
infections.