The alternating 50 Hz magnetic field depending on the hydrophobicity of the strain affects the viability, filamentation and sensitivity to drugs of Candida albicans

In recent decades, Candida albicans have been the main etiological agent of life-threatening invasive infections, characterized by various mechanisms of resistance to commonly used antifungals. One of the strategies to fight Candida infections may be the use of an electromagnetic field. In this study, we examined the influence of the alternating magnetic field of 50 Hz on the cells of C. albicans. We checked the impact of the alternating magnetic field of 50 Hz on the viability, filamentation and sensitivity to fluconazole and amphotericin B of two, differing in hydrophobicity, strains of C. albicans, CAF2-1 and CAF 4-2. Our results indicate that using the alternating magnetic field of 50 Hz reduces the growth of C. albicans. Interestingly, it presents a stronger effect on the hydrophobic strain CAF4-2 than on the hydrophilic CAF2-1. The applied electromagnetic field also affects the permeabilization of the cell membrane. However, it does not inhibit the transformation from yeast to hyphal forms. AMF is more effective in combination with fluconazole rather than amphotericin B. Our findings confirm the hypothesis that the application of the alternating magnetic field of 50 Hz in antifungal therapy may arise as a new option to support the treatment of Candida infections.