Abstract
Cryptococcus is a genus of dimorphic basidiomycete fungi found in the form of yeasts and filaments. Cryptococcosis has as main etiological agents the species Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii. This disease is considered a public health problem and has becoming more alarming because of the limitations of antimicrobials available to its treatment, in addition to an increase in reports of fungal resistance. In this sense, the present review sought to survey information on the resistance mechanisms of Cryptococcus spp. against the main drugs used in cryptococcosis therapy as well as on the antimicrobial activities of plants against these fungi. Studies have reported that several mechanisms may be involved in fungal resistance to drugs including drug inactivation by enzymes, expression of efflux pumps and others drug transporters, as well as changes in the drug target and/or implementation of alternative metabolic pathways. As an alternative to conventional antimicrobials, substances and molecules extracted from plants have demonstrated potential for controlling these pathogens. These phytochemicals can trigger the inhibition and/or death of Cryptococcus through morphological changes on fungi cells, inhibition of ergosterol synthesis, cell leakage, capsular decrease, interference in cell division, reduction of activity of several enzymes such as laccase and urease, inhibition of biofilm formation, among others. In this sense, plants are an important source of bioactive compounds with antimicrobial activity that can be studied in the search for new drugs that are increasingly effective, specific and less toxic in the control of cryptococcosis.
Highlights
Cryotococcus is a genus of dimorphic basidiomycete fungi found in the form of yeasts and filaments
3.1 Usual treatment of Cryptococcosis To understand the resistance mechanisms of Cryptococcus spp., it is important to know which drugs are involved in the treatment of cryptococcosis and how they achieve effectiveness in preventing outbreaks of this disease
For patients with cryptococcal meningitis, the therapy consists of inducing intravenous amphotericin B (AMB) in combination with 5-FC for two weeks
Summary
Cryotococcus is a genus of dimorphic basidiomycete fungi found in the form of yeasts and filaments. The polysaccharide capsule that surrounds the cell body of Cryptococcus spp. is able to protect the cell from desiccation and oxidative stress in addition to protect against the host's immune responses, being able to inhibit the migration of neutrophils in different ways (Dong & Murphy, 1993; Kwon-Chung et al, 2014; Azevedo, Rizzo, Rodrigues, 2016; Casadevall et al, 2019) This disease is considered a public health problem and gets even more alarming because of the limitations in the use of antimicrobials to its treatment once that the therapeutic options available for this mycosis are becoming restricted due to the increase in fungal resistance and the high toxicity caused by some medicines, such as amphotericin B (AMB) (Nobrega et al.,2016; Folly et al, 2020). The present study sought to survey the resistance mechanisms of Cryptococcus spp. against the main drugs used in cryptococcosis treatment as well as describing the antimicrobial activities of plants against these fungus species
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.