Methods: Two oral Candida albians clinical isolates which isolated respectively from healthy host and advanced cancer patient ,together with Candida albicans conference strain 3153a, were induced by 1ug/ml Amphotericin B in vitro , and then studied the apoptosis markers by terminal deoxynucletidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling(TUNEL)(shown by DAB and FITC),and the ultrastructure of cell nuclear by transmission electron microscope, quantitatively analysis by flow cytometry for the rapid exposure of phosphatidylserine(PS) at the outer membrane and PI double staining.
Results: With TUNEL assay and TEM, we detected the typical characteristics of apoptosis. Strain 23C(with low MIC) showed significantly higher percentage of apoptosis (19.92%) compare to Strain 28A(with high MIC) which was isolated from the cancer patient (7.29%)(p<0.01) .And 7.3% of early apoptosis cells of Strain 23C can form colonies on the plates, while 15% for Strain 28A. None of the PI (+) cells can form colony.
Conclusions: Apoptosis of oral Candida albicans isolates can be induced by Amphotericin B. The feature of antifungal drug susceptibility of the oral Candida albicans clinical isolates may associate with the response of apoptosis inducing.