scholarly journals Detection of Cross-Resistance Between Methotrexate and Azoles in Candida albicans and Meyerozyma guilliermondii: An In Vitro Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Filip Franciszek Karuga ◽  
Katarzyna Góralska ◽  
Ewa Brzeziańska-Lasota

Abstract In recent years, there has been a rapid increase in the incidence of Candida infections. The different species of the genus Candida vary in their virulence abilities and susceptibility to antifungal agents, depending on several external factors. The result of such modifications may be cross-resistance, which is understood as an acquired resistance to a certain antimicrobial agent after exposure to another drug. The aim of this study was to determine the possibility of cross-resistance between fluconazole, voriconazole, itraconazole, and methotrexate in Candida albicans and Meyerozyma guilliermondii (syn. Candida guilliermondii ). Fifteen strains of M. guilliermondii and eight strains of C. albicans , including the standard strains, were tested. For all strains, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for fluconazole, voriconazole, and itraconazole were determined before and after stimulation with methotrexate. The median MICs in M. guilliermondii before and after stimulation were 9.333 and 64 mg/L ( p = 0.005) for fluconazole; 0.917 and 1.667 mg/L ( p = 0.001) for itraconazole, respectively. No significant change in MIC was observed for voriconazole. For C. albicans strains, the median MICs before and after stimulation were 0.917 and 64 mg/L ( p = 0.012) for fluconazole; 0.344 and 1.135 mg/L ( p = 0.018) for voriconazole, respectively. There was no significant change in MIC values for itraconazole. Thus, this study demonstrates the presence of cross-resistance between voriconazole, itraconazole, fluconazole, and methotrexate for the selected strains. Methotrexate exposure induces different responses when certain drugs are used for various species. Therefore, if a patient was previously exposed to methotrexate, there may be a higher risk of treatment failure with fluconazole than with other azoles such as voriconazole for fungemia caused by M. guilliermondii or itraconazole for C. albicans infection.

mSphere ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Csaba Papp ◽  
Katica Kocsis ◽  
Renáta Tóth ◽  
László Bodai ◽  
Jesse R. Willis ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Candida species are a major cause of life-threatening bloodstream infections worldwide. Although Candida albicans is responsible for the vast majority of infections, the clinical relevance of other Candida species has also emerged over the last twenty years. This shift might be due in part to changes in clinical guidelines, as echinocandins became the first line of therapeutics for the treatment. Candida parapsilosis is an emerging non-albicans Candida species that exhibits lower susceptibility levels to these drugs. Candida species frequently display resistance to echinocandins, and the mechanism for this is well-known in C. albicans and Candida glabrata, where it is mediated by amino acid substitutions at defined locations of the β-1,3-glucan synthase, Fks1p. In C. parapsilosis isolates, Fks1p harbors an intrinsic amino acid change at position 660 of the hot spot 1 (HS1) region, which is thought to be responsible for the high MIC values. Less is known about acquired substitutions in this species. In this study, we used directed evolution experiments to generate C. parapsilosis strains with acquired resistance to caspofungin, anidulafungin, and micafungin. We showed that cross-resistance was dependent on the type of echinocandin used to generate the evolved strains. During their characterization, all mutant strains showed attenuated virulence in vivo and also displayed alterations in the exposure of inner cell wall components. The evolved strains harbored 251 amino acid changes, including three in the HS1, HS2, and HS3 regions of Fks1p. Altogether, our results demonstrate a direct connection between acquired antifungal resistance and virulence of C. parapsilosis. IMPORTANCE Candida parapsilosis is an opportunistic fungal pathogen with the ability to cause infections in immunocompromised patients. Echinocandins are the currently recommended first line of treatment for all Candida species. Resistance of Candida albicans to this drug type is well characterized. C. parapsilosis strains have the lowest in vitro susceptibility to echinocandins; however, patients with such infections typically respond well to echinocandin therapy. There is little knowledge of acquired resistance in C. parapsilosis and its consequences on other characteristics such as virulence properties. In this study, we aimed to dissect how acquired echinocandin resistance influences the pathogenicity of C. parapsilosis and to develop explanations for why echinocandins are clinically effective in the setting of acquired resistance.


2002 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 1046-1052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avmeet Kohli ◽  
NFN Smriti ◽  
Kasturi Mukhopadhyay ◽  
Ashok Rattan ◽  
Rajendra Prasad

ABSTRACT The present study tracks the development of low-level azole resistance in in vitro fluconazole-adapted strains of Candida albicans, which were obtained by serially passaging a fluconazole-susceptible dose-dependent strain, YO1-16 (fluconazole MIC, 16 μg ml−1) in increasing concentrations of fluconazole, resulting in strains YO1-32 (fluconazole MIC, 32 μg ml−1) and YO1-64 (MIC, 64 μg ml−1). We show that acquired resistance to fluconazole in this series of isolates is not a random process but is a gradually evolved complex phenomenon that involves multiple changes, which included the overexpression of ABC transporter genes, e.g., CDR1 and CDR2, and the azole target enzyme, ERG11. The sequential rise in fluconazole MICs in these isolates was also accompanied by cross-resistance to other azoles and terbinafine. Interestingly, fluorescent polarization measurements performed by using the fluorescent probe 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene revealed that there was a gradual increase in membrane fluidity of adapted strains. The increase in fluidity was reflected by observed change in membrane order, which was considerably decreased (decrease in fluorescence polarization values, P value) in the adapted strain (P value of 0.1 in YO1-64, compared to 0.19 in the YO1-16 strain). The phospholipid composition of the adapted strain was not significantly altered; however, ergosterol content was reduced in YO1-64 from that in the YO1-16 strain. The asymmetrical distribution of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) between two monolayers of plasma membrane was also changed, with PE becoming more exposed to the outer monolayer in the YO1-64 strain. The results of the present study suggest for the first time that changes in the status of membrane lipid phase and asymmetry could contribute to azole resistance in C. albicans.


Lung Cancer ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 126 ◽  
pp. 72-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takamasa Koga ◽  
Yoshihisa Kobayashi ◽  
Kenji Tomizawa ◽  
Kenichi Suda ◽  
Takayuki Kosaka ◽  
...  

Rheumatology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 617-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sijia Chen ◽  
Troy Noordenbos ◽  
Iris Blijdorp ◽  
Leonieke van Mens ◽  
Carmen A Ambarus ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives Synovial mast cells contain IL-17A, a key driver of tissue inflammation in SpA. A recent in vitro study showed that tissue-derived mast cells can capture and release exogenous IL-17A. The present study aimed to investigate if this mechanism could contribute to tissue inflammation in SpA. Methods Potential activation of mast cells by IL-17A was assessed by gene expression analysis of the Laboratory of Allergic Diseases 2 (LAD2) mast cell line. The presence of IL-17A-positive mast cells was assessed by immunohistochemistry in synovial tissue obtained before and after secukinumab treatment, as well as in skin and gut tissues from SpA-related conditions. Results IL-17A did not induce a pro-inflammatory response in human LAD2 mast cells according to the canonical IL-17A signalling pathway. In SpA synovial tissue, the percentage of IL-17A-positive mast cells increased upon treatment with secukinumab. IL-17A-positive mast cells were also readily detectable in non-inflamed barrier tissues such as skin and gut. In non-inflamed dermis and gut submucosa, IL-17A-positive mast cells are the most prevalent IL-17A-positive cells in situ. Compared with non-inflamed tissues, both total mast cells and IL-17A-positive mast cells were increased in psoriatic skin dermis and in submucosa from inflammatory bowel disease gut. In contrast, the proportion of IL-17A-positive mast cells was strikingly lower in the inflamed compared with non-inflamed gut lamina propria. Conclusion IL-17A-positive mast cells are present across SpA target tissues and correlate inversely with inflammation, indicating that their IL-17A content can be regulated. Tissue-resident mast cells may act as IL-17A-loaded sentinel cells, which release IL-17A to amplify tissue inflammation.


2008 ◽  
Vol 100 (10) ◽  
pp. 693-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Buerke ◽  
Sebastian Schubert ◽  
Iris Reindl ◽  
Thomas Michel ◽  
Baerbel Hauroeder ◽  
...  

SummaryBivalirudin, a direct thrombin inhibitor binds specifically and reversibly to both fibrin-bound and unbound thrombin. Bivalirudin is approved for use as an anticoagulant in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. The OASIS-5 trial presented a significant increase in cardiac catheter thrombosis for the pentasaccharid fondaparinux compared to enoxaparin. Catheter thrombosis has never been reported in any trial using bivalirudin. Our study compared the development of catheter thrombosis for bivalirudin, enoxaparin, and unfractionated heparin in a controlled in-vitro environment. Ten healthy male volunteers were pretreated with aspirin 500 mg 2 hours before venesection of 50 ml of blood. The seven groups of anticoagulant combinations tested were:UFH, UFH + eptifibatide, enoxaparin, enoxaparin + eptifibatide, bivalirudin bolus, bivalirudin + eptifibatide, bivalirudin bolus + continuous infusion. The blood/anticoagulant mix continuously circulated through a cardiac guiding catheter for 60 minutes or until the catheter became blocked with thrombus. Thrombus development was assessed by weighing each catheter before and after the procedure. Electron microscopy was used to quantify the degree of erythrocyte, platelet and fibrin deposition. Following anticoagulation with bolus dose bivalirudin, the catheter was invariably occluded with thrombus after 33 minutes of circulation. However, a continuous infusion of Bivalirudin prevented the development of occlusive catheter thrombosis. In the bolus bivalirudin group the mean thrombus weight was significantly greater than in all other groups (p-value < 0.01 in all analyses). Bivalirudin given as a bolus was not sufficient to prevent cardiac catheter thrombosis in our in-vitro study. However, a continuous infusion of bivalirudin had similar anti-thrombotic efficacy compared to other treatment strategies.


Author(s):  
Teresa Al Haddad ◽  
Elie Khoury ◽  
Nada Farhat Mchayleh

Abstract Objectives The aim of the present in vitro study is to compare the remineralization brushing effect of three toothpastes and Aloe vera (AV) gel. Materials and Methods Forty sound extracted teeth were placed in a demineralizing solution for 4 days and randomly assigned to four groups: group A: 1,450-ppm fluoride toothpaste; group B: AV nonfluoridated toothpaste; group C: AV 1,000-ppm fluoridated toothpaste; and group D: AV gel. A 3-minute pH cycling was performed twice a day for each group for 12 days. Specimens were analyzed before and after by scanning electron microscope—energy dispersive X-ray. Statistical analysis The outcomes were analyzed by Kolmogorov–Smirnov’s tests, repeated-measures analyses of variance followed by univariate analyses, and Bonferroni’s multiple comparisons tests to compare the calcium-to-phosphorus (Ca:P) ratio within time among toothpaste groups. Results Following remineralization, the Ca:P ratio increased in all groups. The difference of the Ca:P ratio was not significant between groups C, D, and A. The mean ratio was significantly lower in group B (p-value = 0.026). Conclusions The AV gel demonstrated a remineralization capacity equal to that of the 1,450-ppm fluoride toothpaste. In contrast, fluoride-free AV toothpaste showed a lower remineralization efficiency. Further studies are required to understand its mechanism.


2021 ◽  
Vol Volume 12 ◽  
pp. 465-474
Author(s):  
Shereen A Sayed ◽  
Ehsan AB Hassan ◽  
Muhamad R Abdel Hameed ◽  
Michael N Agban ◽  
Mostafa F Mohammed Saleh ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Hye-Eun Kim ◽  
Yuan Liu ◽  
Atul Dhall ◽  
Marwa Bawazir ◽  
Hyun Koo ◽  
...  

Early childhood caries, a virulent-form of dental caries, is painful, difficult, and costly to treat that has been associated with high levels of Streptococcus mutans (Sm) and Candida albicans (Ca) in plaque-biofilms on teeth. These microorganisms appear to develop a symbiotic cross-kingdom interaction that amplifies the virulence of plaque-biofilms. Although biofilm studies reveal synergistic bacterial-fungal association, how these organisms modulate cross-kingdom biofilm formation and enhance its virulence in the presence of saliva remain largely unknown. Here, we compared the properties of Sm and Sm-Ca biofilms cultured in saliva by examining the biofilm structural organization and capability to sustain an acidic pH environment conducive to enamel demineralization. Intriguingly, Sm-Ca biofilm is rapidly matured and maintained acidic pH-values (~4.3), while Sm biofilm development was retarded and failed to create an acidic environment when cultured in saliva. In turn, the human enamel slab surface was severely demineralized by Sm-Ca biofilms, while there was minimal damage to the enamel surface by Sm biofilm. Interestingly, Sm-Ca biofilms exhibited an acidic environment regardless of their hyphal formation ability. Our data reveal the critical role of symbiotic interaction between S. mutans and C. albicans in human saliva in the context of pathogenesis of dental caries, which may explain how the cross-kingdom interaction contributes to enhanced virulence of plaque-biofilm in the oral cavity.


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