Proposal of a low-cost protocol for colorimetric semi-quantification of secretory phospholipase by Candida albicans grown in planktonic and biofilm phases

Biofilms are aggregates of microorganisms living in multilayered structures inside polymeric matrices onto surfaces. These biofilms may subvert the physiological properties of adjacent tissues causing morphofunctional failure. Many studies have shown that the expression of virulence attributes is maximized when microbes form such communities. This study evaluated the differential phospholipasic activity of Candida albicans SC5314 grown in planktonic phase and in biofilm. We propose two distinct protocols for the colorimetric evaluation of phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis in neutral and acidic conditions. The results showed that both protocols are suitable for the proposed intention and that 72 h-old planktonic cultures of C. albicans SC5314 secrete higher quantities of neutral (6.42-fold) and acidic (3.85-fold) phospholipases than biofilms.