HEALTH NEWS

Study Title:

Monolaurin and Caprylic Acid Kill Candida

Study Abstract

The susceptibility of Candida albicans to several fatty acids and their 1-monoglycerides was tested with a short inactivation time, and ultrathin sections were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) after treatment with capric acid. The results show that capric acid, a 10-carbon saturated fatty acid, causes the fastest and most effective killing of all three strains of C. albicans tested, leaving the cytoplasm disorganized and shrunken because of a disrupted or disintegrated plasma membrane. Lauric acid, a 12-carbon saturated fatty acid, was the most active at lower concentrations and after a longer incubation time.

Study Information

Bergsson G, Arnfinnsson J, Steingrímsson O , Thormar H.
In vitro killing of Candida albicans by fatty acids and monoglycerides.
Antimicrob Agents Chemother.
2001 November
Institute of Biology, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.