CANDIDA ALBICANS GROWTH FEATURES IN THE PRESENCE OF CHOLESTEROL
The aim of the investigation was to study the growth characteristics of Candida albicans in the presence of cholesterol. C. albicans was cultured in the presence of 0.5; 3; 5; 7; 9 mmol/L of cholesterol, when the optical density at 580 nm was measured every hour for 24 hours. The concentration of cholesterol was determined in samples before cultivation and after it by the enzymatic method. To determine the mycocidal effect of cholesterol, the disk diffusion method was used. The ability of microorganisms to biofilm formation was evaluated by staining the biofilms with a cristal violet, followed by its extraction with alcohol and taking into account the optical density at 560 nm. To assess changes in cholesterol concentration, a kit was used to determine total cholesterol by the enzymatic method. It was found that cholesterol in all studied concentrations does not have a mycocidal effect on C. albicans. Clinical strains change cholesterol levels in the incubation medium in different ways. When assessing the kinetics of growth of strains, it was shown that cholesterol increases the accumulation of biomass of strains. In addition, cultivation of C. albicans in the presence of cholesterol accelerates the onset of the exponential growth phase of the strains. The intensity of the biofilm-forming activity of C. albicans significantly varied depending on the concentration of cholesterol. Thus, clinical strains of C. albicans can significantly change cholesterol levels in samples. In this case, the growth parameters of the strains and their functional activity change also.