Microorganisms used in the study were cultured and maintained under the following conditions.
Candida albicans ATCC 90028 was maintained on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA; LabM, Lancashire, UK), and cultured in yeast nitrogen base (YNB; BD Difco, Oxford, UK) supplemented with 100 mmol L−1 glucose (Fisher Scientific, Loughborough, UK) overnight under aerobic conditions and at 37°C. The oral bacterial species used were S. sanguinis NCTC 7863, S. gordonii ATCC 10558, A. viscosus ATCC 1598, A. odontolyticus NCTC 9935 and P. gingivalis NCTC 11834. Streptococci were cultured aerobically on blood agar (BA; Blood Agar Base, LabM, Heywood, UK) supplemented with 5% (v/v) defibrinated horse blood (TCS Biosciences, Buckingham, UK) at 37°C. For liquid culture, streptococci were cultured in Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) broth (LabM) under aerobic conditions at 37°C. Actinomyces species and P. gingivalis were maintained on fastidious anaerobe agar (LabM) supplemented with 5% (v/v) defibrinated horse blood (TCS Biosciences), and for liquid culture, were cultured in BHI supplemented with 50 μg hemin per ml (Sigma, Gillingham, UK) and 10 μg vitamin K per ml, under anaerobic conditions at 37°C.
Candida albicans ATCC 90028 was maintained on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA; LabM, Lancashire, UK), and cultured in yeast nitrogen base (YNB; BD Difco, Oxford, UK) supplemented with 100 mmol L−1 glucose (Fisher Scientific, Loughborough, UK) overnight under aerobic conditions and at 37°C. The oral bacterial species used were S. sanguinis NCTC 7863, S. gordonii ATCC 10558, A. viscosus ATCC 1598, A. odontolyticus NCTC 9935 and P. gingivalis NCTC 11834. Streptococci were cultured aerobically on blood agar (BA; Blood Agar Base, LabM, Heywood, UK) supplemented with 5% (v/v) defibrinated horse blood (TCS Biosciences, Buckingham, UK) at 37°C. For liquid culture, streptococci were cultured in Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) broth (LabM) under aerobic conditions at 37°C. Actinomyces species and P. gingivalis were maintained on fastidious anaerobe agar (LabM) supplemented with 5% (v/v) defibrinated horse blood (TCS Biosciences), and for liquid culture, were cultured in BHI supplemented with 50 μg hemin per ml (Sigma, Gillingham, UK) and 10 μg vitamin K per ml, under anaerobic conditions at 37°C.