Effect of Cannabis Smoke Condensate on C. albicans Growth and Biofilm Formation

Abstract

The most common use of cannabis is smoking. The oral ecosystem, among other constituents, can be deregulated by the presence of cannabis smoke in the oral cavity. We evaluated the effect of cannabis smoke condensate (CSC) on the behavior of Candida albicans, a common yeast found in the oral cavity. The yeast was first cultured with different concentrations of CSC, and its growth was evaluated. The transition from the blastospore to the hyphal form and the hyphae size were assessed after 3 and 6 h, along with biofilm formation after 72 h of contact with CSC. The response of C. albicans to oxidative (H2O2) stress was also examined. Our results show that CSC contained high amounts of THC (about 1055 ppm), CBN (63 ppm), and CBG (about 47 ppm). The presence of various concentrations of CSC in the culture medium increased C. albicans growth. CSC also contributed to increases in both the hyphal length and biofilm mass. Following oxidative stress (H2O2 at either 100 or 500 μM), CSC prevented the damaging effect of H2O2 on both C. albicans shape and growth. These findings support clinical observations demonstrating that cannabis may promote C. albicans growth and oral candidiasis.