Research Article Propolis Is an Efficient Fungicide and Inhibitor of Biofilm Production by Vaginal Candida albicans Isis Regina Grenier Capoci, 1 Patrícia de Souza Bonfim-Mendonça, 1 Glaucia Sayuri Arita, 1 Raphaela Regina de Araújo Pereira, 2 Marcia Edilaine Lopes Consolaro, 3 Marcos Luciano Bruschi, 2 Melyssa Negri, 1 and Terezinha Inez Estivalet Svidzinski 1 1 Division of Medical Mycology, Teaching and Research Laboratory in Clinical Analyses, Department of Clinical Analysis of State University of Maring´ a, Avenida Colombo 5790, 87020-900 Maring´ a, PR, Brazil 2 Laboratory of Research and Development of Drug Delivery Systems, Department of Pharmacy, State University of Maring´ a, Maring´ a, PR, Brazil 3 Clinical Cytology Laboratory, Department of Clinical Analysis and Biomedicine, State University of Maring´ a, PR, Brazil Correspondence should be addressed to Terezinha Inez Estivalet Svidzinski; terezinha.svidzinski@gmail.com Received 6 June 2014; Accepted 14 September 2014 Academic Editor: Jung-Nien Lai Copyright © 2015 Isis Regina Grenier Capoci et al. his is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is one of the most common genital infections in women. he therapeutic arsenal remains restricted, and some alternatives to VVC treatment are being studied. he present study evaluated the inluence of a propolis extractive solution (PES) on bioilm production by Candida albicans isolated from patients with VVC. Susceptibility testing was used to verify the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of PES, with luconazole and nystatin as controls. he bioilm formation of 29 vaginal isolates of C. albicans and a reference strain that were exposed to PES was evaluated using crystal violet staining. Colony- forming units were evaluated, proteins and carbohydrates of the matrix bioilm were quantiied, and scanning electron microscopy was performed. he MIC of PES ranged from 68.35 to 546.87 g/mL of total phenol content in gallic acid. A concentration of 546.87 g/mL was able to cause the death of 75.8% of the isolates. PES inhibited bioilm formation by C. albicans from VVC. Besides antifungal activity, PES appears to present important antibioilm activity on abiotic surfaces, indicating that it may have an additional beneicial efect in the treatment of VVC. 1. Introduction Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a frequently reported gynecological condition during the lives of healthy women. he literature shows that approximately 5–8% of women will develop a recurrent form of VVC [1], which has a signiicant efect on quality of life and poses a substantial burden to the healthcare system. Treatment and management costs for VVC are reported to be approximately USD$1 billion per year in the United States. Uncomplicated VVC cases are deined as single episodes that usually respond to treatment, whereas idiopathic recurrent VVC (RVVC) episodes are commonly untreatable [2]. he therapeutic arsenal that is available for VVC treat- ment is limited, and luconazole and nystatin are the most frequently used [3]. However, nystatin has little therapeutic efect, and luconazole is associated with the development of resistance by non-Candida albicans Candida species [4]. Amphotericin B may be an excellent therapeutic resource because of its high eicacy, but it has very high toxicity [5]. Alternatives to the use of commercial antifungal agents are natural products. Several factors have contributed to the development of medical practices that include medicinal plants, especially those that are inexpensive and easily han- dled [6]. Natural products, such as propolis, have been described as a promising option. It is a resin containing a complex mixture of substances, produced by honey bees, that results from the collection of substances secreted by plants, with the purpose of sealing and protecting the hive. Its chemical Hindawi Publishing Corporation Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Volume 2015, Article ID 287693, 9 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/287693