{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,16]],"date-time":"2026-06-16T06:55:03Z","timestamp":1781592903776,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,15]],"date-time":"2026-06-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781481600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pathogens"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Oral candidiasis is an opportunistic infection caused by Candida albicans (C. albicans), highlighting the need to evaluate candidate substances that ensure both antifungal efficacy and mucosal safety. This study aimed to assess the potential of Sambucus williamsii var. coreana (S. williamsii var. coreana) extract as a naturally derived antifungal agent for topical oral application by investigating its antifungal activity against C. albicans and its cytotoxicity in human keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells. Methods: S. williamsii var. coreana was extracted with 70% ethanol, concentrated, and freeze-dried. The extract was prepared at concentrations of 1\u201340 mg\/mL and applied under 6 h and 24 h exposure conditions. Antifungal activity against cultured C. albicans was evaluated using colony-forming unit (CFU) analysis, while cytotoxicity in HaCaT cells was assessed via the Water-soluble Tetrazolium Salt-1 assay after incubation at 37 \u00b0C in 5% CO2 for 2 h. Statistical significance was analyzed using Student\u2019s t-test, ANOVA, and Tukey\u2019s HSD test (p &lt; 0.05). Results: The S. williamsii var. coreana extract exhibited concentration- and time-dependent antifungal activity. A 99.99% inhibition of C. albicans was observed at 5 mg\/mL. No detectable CFUs were observed at 30 mg\/mL after 6 h and at 10 mg\/mL after 24 h. HaCaT cell viability decreased in a concentration-dependent manner, with the half-maximal inhibitory concentration determined to be 10 mg\/mL. Conclusions: The extract of S. williamsii var. coreana exhibited concentration- and time-dependent in vitro antifungal activity against C. albicans. However, the concentration associated with no detectable CFUs overlapped with the cytotoxic concentration range in HaCaT cells, indicating that further studies are required to define an appropriate concentration range for potential oral application.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens15060635","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,16]],"date-time":"2026-06-16T05:46:28Z","timestamp":1781588788000},"page":"635","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["In Vitro Evaluation of the Antifungal Activity and Cytotoxicity of Sambucus williamsii var. coreana Extract Against Candida albicans and HaCaT Cells"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1272-6170","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hyo-Ju","family":"Yoon","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dental Hygiene, College of Health Sciences, Kangwon National University, Samcheok-si 25949, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gyoo-Cheon","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oral Anatomy, School of Dentistry, Pusan National University, Yangsan-si 50612, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9529-1282","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Seoul-Hee","family":"Nam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dental Hygiene, College of Health Sciences, Kangwon National University, Samcheok-si 25949, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"152303","DOI":"10.1016\/j.imbio.2022.152303","article-title":"Interactions of Candida tropicalis PH-related antigen 1 with complement proteins C3, C3b, factor-H, C4BP and complement evasion","volume":"228","author":"Valand","year":"2023","journal-title":"Immunobiology"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"22434","DOI":"10.3402\/jom.v5i0.22434","article-title":"Interactions of Candida albicans with host epithelial surfaces","volume":"5","author":"Williams","year":"2013","journal-title":"J. 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