C. albicans ATCC 10231

Overview

C. albicans ATCC 10231 is a standardized laboratory reference strain of Candida albicans, a medically important opportunistic fungal pathogen. As an ATCC-deposited strain, it is widely used in antifungal susceptibility testing, formulation development, biofilm studies, and host–pathogen interaction experiments. In biomedical research, this strain serves as a reproducible model for evaluating antifungal agents, delivery systems, and anti-virulence strategies against Candida infections.

Biologically, C. albicans is notable for its ability to switch between yeast and hyphal forms, form biofilms, and cause mucosal and invasive disease. In the recent studies provided, C. albicans ATCC 10231 was used as a target organism in assays assessing antifungal activity, including ophthalmic, wound, and polymicrobial infection models. These investigations reflect its role as a benchmark strain for comparing drug potency and formulation performance against C. albicans, often alongside pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Recent Publications Summary

Recent studies involving C. albicans ATCC 10231 focused on antifungal activity, combination therapy, and host-directed approaches. In a marine-fungal natural products study, compounds isolated from Aspergillus sp. WHUF04-170 were tested for antimicrobial effects, and compounds 1 and 15 were reported to enhance the activity of amphotericin B against C. albicans strains, including the standard reference strain ATCC 10231 and drug-resistant clinical isolates 41651325Feb. Another investigation of benzimidazole-based derivatives found that several synthesized compounds had antifungal activity against C. albicans, with compounds 3c and 3i showing particularly strong potency and mechanistic evidence consistent with reactive oxygen species accumulation and ergosterol-related membrane disruption 41831427Mar.

Additional publications examined delivery systems and formulations intended to improve antifungal efficacy against C. albicans. A pH-responsive human serum albumin nanoparticle platform for amphotericin B delivery was reported to provide sustained, acidic pH-dependent release, improved biocompatibility, and retained antifungal activity against C. albicans 42190773May. In a wound-infection context, dissolving microneedles co-loaded with deferoxamine-anchored Ti3C2Tx MXene were shown to exert photothermal antibacterial effects against C. albicans under near-infrared irradiation as part of a broader polymicrobial wound-healing strategy 42119861May. A separate study of melittin in fungal encephalitis found that the peptide directly inhibited C. albicans growth in vitro and attenuated virulence gene expression, while also enhancing blood–brain barrier permeability and reducing fungal burden and neuroinflammation in a murine model 41962469Apr.

Natural product screening also included C. albicans ATCC 10231 in broader antifungal evaluations. A saponin-enriched fraction from Sarcomphalus joazeiro was analyzed by UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS and assessed against Candida spp., including C. albicans, as part of an investigation into plant-derived antifungal potential 42261063Jun. Likewise, a hyaluronate-coated novasome formulation carrying Beta vulgaris subsp. cicla extract was tested against C. albicans in agar well assays, with the crude extract described as having limited antimicrobial activity but some effect against C. albicans 42303711Jun. In another natural-product study, the ethyl acetate extract of Paullinia pinnata and its isolated triterpenoid were evaluated against drug-resistant Candida strains and clinical isolates, including C. albicans, with additional testing of combinations with voriconazole, nystatin, and caspofungin and assessment of antibiofilm activity 42224217Jun.

A vaccine-focused nonhuman primate study also provided context for C. albicans infection biology relevant to recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. Japanese macaques were shown to be susceptible to vaginal C. albicans infection, with hyphae formation and polymorphonuclear cell recruitment in the vaginal lumen, and infection or reinfection induced only limited anti-Candida IgG responses that did not prevent reinfection 42371915Jun. Although the abstract does not specify ATCC 10231, it supports the use of C. albicans challenge models to study mucosal infection and vaccine-mediated protection.

What Changes, What Holds

1. Combination and mechanism studies extend the strain’s role as a screening target, not its core identity
REINFORCES These findings keep C. albicans ATCC 10231 in the same established role as a benchmark organism for antifungal testing, while adding more examples of combination-therapy and mechanism-focused screening. The marine natural products work suggests some compounds can potentiate amphotericin B, and the benzimidazole series adds another mechanistic antifungal class with oxidative stress and membrane effects 41651325Feb41831427Mar. That strengthens its utility for comparative drug evaluation without changing what the strain is understood to be.

2. New delivery and host-directed approaches broaden how the strain is used in antifungal models
REINFORCES These studies do not alter the baseline account of C. albicans ATCC 10231 as a reference strain, but they do show it continuing to serve as a test organism in increasingly sophisticated formulation and host-directed settings. The nanoparticle amphotericin B platform and the microneedle/MXene wound strategy both fit the existing pattern of evaluating delivery performance against Candida, while the melittin encephalitis work adds a host-permeability and virulence-suppression angle 42190773May42119861May41962469Apr. The main change is breadth of application, not a new biological role.

3. Plant-derived and formulation-based screens keep confirming the strain’s value in broad antifungal evaluation
REINFORCES These reports reinforce the strain’s established use in natural-product and formulation screening by adding more compounds and extracts to the same comparative testing framework. The saponin fraction, beet-extract novasome, and Paullinia pinnata work all treat C. albicans ATCC 10231 as a standard comparator for antifungal potency and antibiofilm assessment, which is exactly the kind of benchmark use already described in the overview 42261063Jun42303711Jun42224217Jun. Nothing here displaces the baseline; it mainly expands the menu of candidate antifungals.

4. Mucosal infection biology in primates supports the relevance of Candida challenge models, but not strain-specific conclusions
NEW DIRECTION This work adds a host-pathogenesis and vaccine-immunity dimension that the overview does not cover, namely susceptibility to vaginal infection, reinfection, and limited protective IgG responses in a primate model. Because the abstract does not specify ATCC 10231, it cannot be taken as direct evidence about the reference strain itself; instead, it supports the broader use of C. albicans challenge systems for studying recurrent mucosal disease and incomplete immunity 42371915Jun. The baseline stands, but the model context is widened.

Overview update candidates: none.