Isabella Salihovic

Mrs. Isabella Salihovic


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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23 October 2026 in Antibiotics
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
EFElisabeth Fischer
Elisabeth Fischer
ISIsabella Salihovic
Isabella Salihovic
ACAnabel Cenit
Anabel Cenit
AKAndreas Kubin
Andreas Kubin
LWLionel Wightman
Lionel Wightman
Kristjan PlaetzerKristjan Plaetzer
Kristjan Plaetzer
Background/Objectives: Curcumin is a food-grade (E100) photosensitiser with promising antimicrobial properties, but its applicability is limited due to low water-solubility. Complexation of curcumin with hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin (HP-γ-CD) overcomes this constraint and may facilitate using a single photosensitiser for Photodynamic Inactivation (PDI) of pathogens along the food-production chain and within a One Health framework. Methods: In this study, a novel method to complex HP-γ-CD and curcumin (abbreviated as CD-Cur) was developed and the compound was tested against Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, and Candidozyma auris, in liquid culture and in situ on abiotic surfaces, food matrices, and a porcine skin model. Results: Planktonic experiments demonstrated concentration-dependent PDI efficacy with photokilling exceeding the 3 log10 threshold for all tested organisms at CD-Cur concentrations between 10 and 50 µM, illuminated with 435 nm (50 J/cm2) LED light, while dark and light toxicity remained below microbiologically relevant levels. CD-Cur induced high reductions of viable E. coli on food-contact plastic foil (3.35 log10, 100 µM, white light, 100 J/cm2) and on abiotic surfaces (5.17–5.50 log10, 30 µM, 435 nm, 25 J/cm2) with visible photobleaching of the photosensitiser after illumination. On salmon and pistachios, matrix-dependent effects were observed, but PDI still achieved practically relevant reductions (2.25–3.52 log10, 30 µM, 435 nm, 200 J/cm2) of S. enterica without visible colour alteration of the food. In a porcine skin model, CD-Cur in a 1% hydroxyethyl cellulose hydrogel reduced C. auris contamination notably. The addition of 2 mM EDTA further enhanced antifungal effects, indicating that CD-Cur can also be applied in a medical context as topical application on porcine skin (2.41 log10, 500 µM, 435 nm, 75 J/cm2). Conclusions: Together, these results show that a single, photodynamic system based on food-grade CD-Cur can provide broad antimicrobial efficacy across diverse matrices and pathogens in a One Health context.