Thymus vulgaris essential oil and thymol inhibit biofilms and interact synergistically with antifungal drugs against drug resistant strains of Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 100911
Author(s):  
H. Jafri ◽  
I. Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Essential Oil ◽  
Candida Tropicalis ◽  
Antifungal Drugs ◽  
Thymus Vulgaris ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Resistant Strains ◽  
Drug Resistant Strains

scholarly journals Synergistic Antifungal Activity of Chitosan with Fluconazole against Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, and Fluconazole-Resistant Strains

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (21) ◽  
pp. 5114
Author(s):  
Wei-Hsuan Lo ◽  
Fu-Sheng Deng ◽  
Chih-Jung Chang ◽  
Ching-Hsuan Lin
Keyword(s):  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Antifungal Activity ◽  
Candida Tropicalis ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Antifungal Drugs ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Combinational Treatment ◽  
Fluconazole Resistant ◽  
Resistant Strains ◽  
Drug Resistant Strains

(1) Background: Few antifungal drugs are currently available, and drug-resistant strains have rapidly emerged. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the antifungal activity from a combinational treatment of chitosan with a clinical antifungal drug on Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis. (2) Methods: Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) tests, checkerboard assays, and disc assays were employed to determine the inhibitory effect of chitosan with or without other antifungal drugs on C. albicans and C. tropicalis. (3) Results: Treatment with chitosan in combination with fluconazole showed a great synergistic fungicidal effect against C. albicans and C. tropicalis, but an indifferent effect on antifungal activity when challenged with chitosan-amphotericin B or chitosan-caspofungin simultaneously. Furthermore, the combination of chitosan and fluconazole was effective against drug-resistant strains. (4) Conclusions: These findings provide strong evidence that chitosan in combination with fluconazole is a promising therapy against two Candida species and its drug-resistant strains.

scholarly journals Antifungal activity of MAF-1A peptide against Candida albicans

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rong Cheng ◽  
Qiang Xu ◽  
Fangfang Hu ◽  
Hongling Li ◽  
Bin Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Cell Membrane ◽  
Antifungal Drugs ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Fluorescent Staining ◽  
Qrt Pcr ◽  
Major Threat ◽  
Antifungal Action ◽  
Resistant Strains ◽  
Drug Resistant Strains

AbstractInvasive candidiasis is a major threat to human health, and Candida albicans is the most common pathogenic species responsible for this condition. The incidence of drug-resistant strains of C. albicans is rising, necessitating the development of new antifungal drugs. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have recently attracted attention due to their unique ability to evade the drug resistance of microorganisms. However, the mechanism of their activity has not yet been identified. The current study analyzed the mode of action of MAF-1A by confocal microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, fluorescent staining, flow cytometry, and qRT-PCR. The results indicate that MAF-1A disrupts the cell membrane of C. albicans and enters the cell where it binds and interacts with nucleic acids. qRT-PCR demonstrated that the expression of several sterol biosynthesis–related genes in C. albicans was increased after MAF-1A treatment. Together, these findings suggest that MAF-1A exerts antifungal action by affecting both the cell membrane and intracellular components. The antifungal mechanism of MAF-1A is unique, and its identification has great research and clinical significance.

scholarly journals Increase of Virulence and Its Phenotypic Traits in Drug-Resistant Strains of Candida albicans

2008 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 927-936 ◽  
Author(s):  
Letizia Angiolella ◽  
Anna Rita Stringaro ◽  
Flavia De Bernardis ◽  
Brunella Posteraro ◽  
Mariantonietta Bonito ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Resistance ◽  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Antifungal Drugs ◽  
Infection Model ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Homozygous Mutation ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Resistant Strains ◽  
Drug Resistant Strains

ABSTRACT There is concern about the rise of antifungal drug resistance, but little is known about comparative biological properties and pathogenicity of drug-resistant strains. We generated fluconazole (FLC; CO23RFLC)- or micafungin (FK; CO23RFK)-resistant strains of Candida albicans by treating a FLC- and FK-susceptible strain of this fungus (CO23S) with stepwise-increasing concentrations of either drug. Molecular analyses showed that CO23RFLC had acquired markedly increased expression of the drug-resistance efflux pump encoded by the MDR1 gene, whereas CO23RFK had a homozygous mutation in the FSK1 gene. These genetic modifications did not alter to any extent the growth capacity of the drug-resistant strains in vitro, either at 28°C or at 37°C, but markedly increased their experimental pathogenicity in a systemic mouse infection model, as assessed by the overall mortality and target organ invasion. Interestingly, no apparent increase in the vaginopathic potential of the strains was observed with an estrogen-dependent rat vaginal infection. The increased pathogenicity of drug-resistant strains for systemic infection was associated with a number of biochemical and physiological changes, including (i) marked cellular alterations associated with a different expression and content of major cell wall polysaccharides, (ii) more rapid and extensive hypha formation in both liquid and solid media, and (iii) increased adherence to plastic and a propensity for biofilm formation. Overall, our data demonstrate that experimentally induced resistance to antifungal drugs, irrespective of drug family, can substantially divert C. albicans biology, affecting in particular biological properties of potential relevance for deep-seated candidiasis.

scholarly journals Candida albicans Zinc Cluster Protein Upc2p Confers Resistance to Antifungal Drugs and Is an Activator of Ergosterol Biosynthetic Genes

2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 1745-1752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah MacPherson ◽  
Bassel Akache ◽  
Sandra Weber ◽  
Xavier De Deken ◽  
Martine Raymond ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Biosynthetic Pathway ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Antifungal Drugs ◽  
Zinc Cluster ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Ergosterol Synthesis ◽  
Resistant Strains ◽  
Drug Resistant Strains

ABSTRACT The human pathogen Candida albicans is responsible for a large proportion of infections in immunocompromised individuals, and the emergence of drug-resistant strains is of medical concern. Resistance to antifungal azole compounds is often due to an increase in drug efflux or an alteration of the pathway for synthesis of ergosterol, an important plasma membrane component in fungi. However, little is known about the transcription factors that mediate drug resistance. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, two highly related transcriptional activators, Upc2p and Ecm22p, positively regulate the expression of genes involved in ergosterol synthesis (ERG genes). We have identified a homologue in C. albicans of the S. cerevisiae UPC2/ECM22 genes and named it UPC2. Deletion of this gene impaired growth under anaerobic conditions and rendered cells highly susceptible to the antifungal drugs ketoconazole and fluconazole. Conversely, overexpression of Upc2p increased resistance to ketoconazole, fluconazole, and fluphenazine. Azole-induced expression of the ERG genes was abolished in a Δupc2 strain, while basal levels of these mRNAs remained unchanged. Importantly, the purified DNA binding domain of Upc2p bound in vitro to putative sterol response elements in the ERG2 promoter, suggesting that Upc2p increases the expression of the ERG genes by directly binding to their promoters. These results provide an important link between changes in the ergosterol biosynthetic pathway and azole resistance in this opportunistic fungal species.

scholarly journals Susceptibility of Fluconazole-Resistant Candida albicans to Thyme Essential Oil

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 2454
Author(s):  
Najla A Alshaikh ◽  
Kahkashan Perveen
Keyword(s):  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Essential Oil ◽  
Germ Tube ◽  
Tube Formation ◽  
Clinical Isolates ◽  
Military Hospital ◽  
Thymus Vulgaris ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Thyme Essential Oil ◽  
Fluconazole Resistant

Candida spp. is the most common microbial pathogen in fungal infections. There has been a tremendous increase in cases of candidiasis, especially among critically ill non-neutropenic patients. Candida albicans’ isolates were procured from the Prince Sultan Military Hospital, Riyadh, KSA. The isolates were characterized for their identification using CHROMagar, carbohydrate metabolism, germ tube formation, and RAPD-PCR techniques. The essential oil of Thymus vulgaris was obtained by hydro-distillation and characterized to decipher the major bioactive phytoconstituents. The antifungal activity of the thyme essential oil (TEO) was evaluated against fluconazole-resistant C. albicans isolates. The major phytocomponents identified by GC/MS were thymol (68.1%) followed by γ-terpinene (8.9%), cymol (7.7%), caryophyllene (1.1%), linalool (1.4%). The TEO successfully reduced the growth of C. albicans isolates. At very low doses, the TEO proved to be fungi static and fungicidal. TEO also effectively inhibited the germ tube formation and budging of fungal pathogens. The time kill assays have shown that TEO was more effective against drug resistant clinical isolates than fluconazole. This study provides an array of experimental evidence regarding the therapeutic efficacy of TEO against the drug-resistant clinical isolates of C. albicans. The findings may be used in the development of a new antifungal agent accordingly.

scholarly journals Characterization and anti-staphylococcal activity of the essential oil from Turnera subulata Sm.

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 534-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.G. Fernandes ◽  
R.A. Gomes ◽  
S.G. Brito-Filho ◽  
R.N. Silva-Filho ◽  
M.F. Agra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibacterial Activity ◽  
Essential Oil ◽  
Mass Spectra ◽  
Complex Mixture ◽  
Retention Indices ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Aerial Parts ◽  
Resistant Strains ◽  
Drug Resistant Strains ◽  
Broth Dilution

The present study is pioneer in analyzing the chemical composition of the essential oil from aerial parts of Turnera subulata Sm. and evaluates their antibacterial activity against a panel of drug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus. The aerial parts were kiln-dried and then powdered in mechanical mill, and was subjected to hydrodistillation in a Clevenger-type apparatus. The components were analyzed using a mass spectrometrycoupled gas chromatography (GC-MS), and the identification of substances was performed by comparison of the mass spectra obtained with the mass spectra of the database of the GC-MS and retention indices . The essential oil was evaluated using the method of broth dilution at concentrations ranging from 3.125µg/mL to 3200µg/mL. It was possible to identify 45 substances (92.1%) of the essential oils, and the major components were trans-caryophyllene (6.7%), citronellol (5.6%), sphatulenol (5.3%), α-cadinol (4.3%), n-tricosano (4.3%), geraniol (4.1%) and trans-geranilacetone (3.7%), n-pentacosano (3.5%), globulol (3.4%), caryophyllene oxide (3.2%). The essential oil of T. subulata Sm. showed effective antibacterial activity for the various strains of S. aureus tested, with the MIC values between 25 µg/mL and 1600 µg/mL. The study of the essential oil of Turnera subulata Sm. showed that it consists of a complex mixture of several classes of compounds having the sesquiterpenes as major constituents followed by monoterpenes, and showed an antibacterial activity significant front the strains tested.

scholarly journals Essential Oils and Non-volatile Compounds Derived from Chamaecyparis obtusa: Broad Spectrum Antimicrobial Activity against Infectious Bacteria and MDR(multidrug resistant) Strains

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1934578X1601100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min-Suk Bae ◽  
Dae-Hun Park ◽  
Chul-Yung Choi ◽  
Gye-Yeop Kim ◽  
Jin-Cheol Yoo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Activity ◽  
Essential Oil ◽  
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Chamaecyparis Obtusa ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci ◽  
Resistant Strains ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant ◽  
Drug Resistant Strains

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of essential oil from Chamaecyparis obtusa against general infectious microbes and drug resistant strains of clinical origin. The results indicate that both essential oil and non-volatile residue have broad inhibitory activity against test strains. Essential oil and non-volatile residues showed antimicrobial activity not only against general infectious bacteria, but also against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) strains.

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