Candida Albicans Strains Research Articles

Combination of Six Individual Derivatives of the Pom-1 Antibiofilm Peptide Doubles Their Efficacy against Invasive and Multi-Resistant Clinical Isolates of the Pathogenic Yeast Candida albicans

In previous studies, derivatives of the peptide Pom-1, which was originally extracted from the freshwater mollusk Pomacea poeyana, showed an exceptional ability to specifically inhibit biofilm formation of the laboratory strain ATCC 90028 as a model strain of the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans. In follow-up, here, we demonstrate that the derivatives Pom-1A to Pom-1F are also active against biofilms of invasive clinical C. albicans isolates, including strains resistant against fluconazole and/or amphotericin B. However, efficacy varied strongly between the isolates, as indicated by large deviations in the experiments. This lack of robustness could be efficiently bypassed by using mixtures of all peptides. These mixed peptide preparations were active against biofilm formation of all the isolates with uniform efficacies, and the total peptide concentration could be halved compared to the original MIC of the individual peptides (2.5 µg/mL). Moreover, mixing the individual peptides restored the antifungal effect of fluconazole against fluconazole-resistant isolates even at 50% of the standard therapeutic concentration. Without having elucidated the reason for these synergistic effects of the peptides yet, both the gain of efficacy and the considerable increase in efficiency by combining the peptides indicate that Pom-1 and its derivatives in suitable formulations may play an important role as new antibiofilm antimycotics in the fight against invasive clinical infections with (multi-) resistant C. albicans.

Antagonist activities and phylogenetic relationships of actinomycetes isolated from an Artemisia habitat

Diverse habitats have been screened for novel antimicrobial actinomycetes, while others remain unexplored. In this study, we analyzed the bioactivities of actinomycetes cultured from rhizosphere soils of the desert plant Artemisia tridentata and the nearby bulk soils. Actinomycetes were screened for antifungal and antibacterial activities toward a panel of plant pathogens; all comparisons were between activities of rhizosphere soil isolates toward those of its counterpart bulk soil. A selected group of the strongest antifungal isolates were also tested against two antifungal-drug resistant strains of Candida albicans. 16S rDNA partial sequences and phylogenetic analysis of isolates that showed broad-spectrum antifungal activities were performed. Forty-two out of 200 and two soil isolated actinomycetes were selected for their strong antifungal activities. The highest proportion of isolates (p<0.05) from rhizosphere soil of an old plant showed antagonism against gram-positive bacteria (0.483 and 0.224 proportions against Bacillus subtilis and Rathayibacter tritici, respectively), and phytopathogenic fungi (0.259, 0.431, and 0.345 proportions against Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizoctonia solani and Pythium ultimum, respectively), while the highest antagonism against the gram-negative bacteria predominated in isolates from the bulk soils. Isolates from a rhizosphere soil of a young plant were characterized for strong antagonist activities against Fusarium oxysporum (0.333 proportion, p<0.05). Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA sequences showed that isolates that exhibited strong antifungal activity were genetically similar. We conclude that the rhizosphere soil of A. tridentata is an excellent source for discovery of actinomycetes with potentially novel antifungal compounds.

Evaluation of the antifungal powers of five plant species of the genus Terminalia on strains responsible for candidiasis

Background: Candidiasis is a fungal disease caused by Candida albicans, a yeast that preferentially affects mucous membranes. These diseases are more and more recurrent because of the generalized decline in immunity and the appearance of resistance to classical antifungal drugs. Therefore, fighting against therapeutic failures becomes necessary. The objective of this study is to contribute to the fight against candidiasis through the research of new antifungal molecules. To do so, the hydroalcoholic extracts of Terminalia catappa, Terminalia glaucescens, Terminalia ivorensis, Terminalia mantaly and Terminalia superba, five plant species used in traditional medicine against dermatoses, were tested on the in vitro growth of resistant strains of Candida albicans. In addition, the polyphenol composition of these plants was carried out in order to evaluate their protective powers.&#x0D; Methods: The antifungal tests were performed by the solid-state dilution method. While the determination of polyphenols was performed by the photometric method.&#x0D; Results: The results showed an inhibition of the growth of germs by four plants except Terminalia catappa. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) obtained are as follows: MIC (T. ivorensis) =0.25 mg/mL; MIC (T. glaucescens) =0.50 mg/mL; MIC (T. superba) = 4 mg/ML; MIC (T. mantaly) = 2 mg/mL.&#x0D; Conclusion: This study indicates that T. ivorensis is the most active and has the highest content of phenolic compounds. This plant could be a source of effective molecules in the treatment of candidiasis.&#x0D; Keywords: Candida albicans, candidiasis, Terminalia, antifungal, polyphenol,

Antifungal Susceptibility of Candida albicans Isolated from Tongue and Subgingival Biofilm of Periodontitis Patients.

The subgingival biofilm, as the most complex microbial community, has been proven to be reservoir of Candida spp. The main concept of this study was to investigate if there is a difference between the sensitivity of Candida albicans (C. albicans) isolated from tongue and subgingival areas of periodontitis patients to antifungal agents. The aim of the study was to determine: (1) the distribution of different Candida species in the tongue and subgingival samples of periodontitis patients; (2) the susceptibility of Candida albicans strains from tongue and subgingival biofilm to the effects of commonly used antifungal agents: fluconazole, amphotericin B and itraconazole; (3) the correlation between the susceptibility of Candida albicans and clinical periodontal parameters. Tongue and subgingival biofilm samples of periodontitis subjects (N = 163) were examined. Susceptibility was tested when the same Candida species was isolated from both sites (17 subjects). Candida spp. were isolated in 23.3% of tongue and 21.5% of the subgingival samples. All isolates were susceptible to amphotericin B, while 64.71% of tongue and 52.94% of subgingival isolates were susceptible to fluconazole. A low frequency of itraconazole susceptibility was observed for tongue (17.64%) and subgingival isolates (11.76%). The correlations between full-mouth plaque score and Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) for tongue isolates were strongly positive for all antimycotics. Positive correlation was also observed between moderate periodontal destruction and MICs for tongue and subgingival isolates. The susceptibility of C. albicans to antifungals correlate with oral hygiene and moderate periodontal destruction. There is no difference in antifungal susceptibility between tongue and subgingival isolates.

Efficacy of Lamiaceae essential oils with selected azoles against Candida albicans clinical isolates.

A current problem in candidiasis treatment is increasing resistance to azoles, which are often prescribed to patients. The study underlines the high resistance of yeasts to fluconazole, which achieved high MIC (minimal inhibitory concentration) values both alone and in combination with essential oils (EOs). Antifungal activity of Hyssopus officinalis, Thymus vulgaris, Salvia officinalis and Rosmarinus officinalis EOs was determined against 13 clinical isolates of Candida albicans and reference strain Candida albicans ATCC 10231. The synergistic effect was investigated for the combination of itraconazole and fluconazole with Hyssopus officinalis and Thymus vulgaris EOs. Based on the fractional inhibitory concentration index, the synergistic effect was achieved in all of the samples exposed to itraconazole with Hyssopus officinalis (FICI 0.3±0.06). On the other side, the additive effect was proven in use of itraconazole with Thymus vulgaris (FICI 0.75±0.35) and fluconazole with both EOs tested (FICI 0.81±0.19; 0.88±0.57) This study shows the importance of monitoring the synergistic effect of antifungals combined with EOs, because it is a possible solution for reducing the resistance and improving the disease prognosis.

Quinolone‐Rhodanine Hybrid Compounds: Synthesis and Biological Evaluation as Anti‐Bacterial Agents

AbstractAs potential antimicrobial agents, 4‐fluoroaniline and diethyl (ethoxymethylene)malonate were used to efficiently synthesize a new quinolone (3‐9) series. The 1HNMR and 13C NMR, IR, mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis of all compounds were used to identify them. The final compounds 3–9 were in vitro screened for antimicrobial activity against gram negative‐gram positive Escherichia coli, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus cereus, Mycobacterium smegmatis and fungal strains Candida albicans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The best antimicrobial activity was demonstrated by compounds 9a and 9b. Antimicrobial resistance and microbial infection could benefit from quinolone derivatives′ ability to inhibit the growth of microorganisms, according to this study.

Chemical constituents and antimicrobial ability of essential oil from the fruits of Lonicera maackii (Rupr.) Maxim.

Essential oils are the natural products that can pave the way for the creation of effective drugs with various beneficial properties. Plants of Lonicera maackii are well known in the natural growth regions of temperate Asia due to therapeutic effects and a high content of the bioactive compounds. Species diversity of steppe vegetation is enriched by the introduction of plants, but the assessment of this process effectiveness should also take into account the realization of plant genetic potential for the accumulation of secondary metabolites in the new growth conditions. The aim of the work was to establish whether the plants of L. maackii introduced in the steppe zone could reproduce the health promoting properties. The essential oil from the fruits of L. maackii was obtained by hydro distillation method. Chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions isolated from the aqueous distillate of L. maackii fruits were analyzed by gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (GC-MS analysis). Chemical constituents identified in ethyl acetate and chloroform fraction represented 98.6% and 94.2 % of the total compounds content, respectively. Among the most abundant components were hexadecane, acetic acid, butyl ester, hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester, linoleic acid, and linoleic acid methyl ester in the and the alkanes heptacosane, hexadecane, and tetradecane in chloroform fraction. Linoleic acid and some minor constituents of L. maackii fruit essential oil, such as ethyl-isoallocholate, arachidic acid, linalool and d-mannitol-1-decylsulfonyl are well known because of their reported bioactivities. The antimicrobial activity of essential oil was assessed against several clinical and collection bacterial and fungal strains. The results of disc-diffusion assays showed low to moderate activity of L. maackii fruit essential oil against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains, as well as against fungal itraconazole-resistant clinical strain of Candida albicans. Thus, the essential oil derived from Lonicera maackii fruits may serve as potential resource of bioactive compounds having beneficial properties, in particular, the ability to overcome the resistance of pathogenic microorganisms to drugs. Further research is needed to identify the full range of bioactivities of the essential oil obtained from honeysuckle fruits.

Antifungal Activities of Phytochemically Characterized Hydroethanolic Extracts of Sclerocarya birrea Leaves and Stem Bark against Fluconazole-Resistant Candida albicans Strains.

The study evaluated the antifungal activities of the 70% ethanol extracts of Sclerocarya birrea leaves (SBL) and stem bark (SBB) against C. albicans strains and fluconazole-resistant isolates, their antifungal effects in combination with conventional antifungals as well as their effects on the biofilms of the C. albicans strains and isolates. UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS analysis was then carried out to investigate the metabolite profile of the extracts and UPLC fingerprints developed for their routine identification as part of quality control measures. The extracts exhibited considerable antifungal activity with MIC ranging from 12.21 to 97.66 μg/mL and MFC from 12.21 to 390.63 μg/mL against the C. albicans strains and isolates. The antifungal activity of the stem bark extract was higher than the leaf extract. SBL and SBB also significantly inhibited biofilm formation (IC50 = 12.49 to 164.42 μg/mL) and the mature biofilms (IC50 = 91.50 to 685.20 μg/mL) of the strains and isolates of the C. albicans and demonstrated potential for their use in combination therapies with currently used antifungals especially the stem bark extract with nystatin. Metabolite profiling identified the presence of polyphenolic compounds in both leaves and stem bark mostly flavonoids, their derivatives, and proanthocyanidins, which contribute in part to the bioactivity of the plant. Whereas flavonoids like quercetin, myricetin, and their derivatives were abundant in the leaves, epicatechin monomers with their condensed tannins, including procyanidin B2 and procyanidin C, were abundant in the stem bark. Fingerprints of SBL and SBB were developed and validated and could be used as qualitative tools to authenticate the plant. The outcomes of the study show the promise of the leaf and stem bark extracts of S. birrea to be studied further and developed as antifungal agents.

Synthesis of Quinine-Triazole Derivatives (QNTDs) with Antifungal Potency

Background: Reduced efficacy of the available antifungal drugs is the major public health concern of the population all over the world. Despite significant advances in the treatment of these life-threatening infections, severe toxicity and increasing median effective dose have lim-ited the efficacy of frontline therapy applicable against them. Objective: The quintessential occurrence of systemic toxicity handicaps the clinical utility of cur-rently available antifungal drugs. 1,2,3-Triazoles in the same context are relatively less toxic. Con-sequently, conjugation of quinine with the triazole moiety for enhanced efficacy and reduced tox-icity have been excessively envisaged and reported in the context of a range of activities ranging from inflammation to cancer, however lack of toxicity profile sabotages the translation of the la-boratory prototype into successful clinical practice. Method: We herein report the synthesis and characterization of a series of quinine triazole hybrids via o-mesylation followed by azide displacement, then reacting it with aliphatic and aromatic al-kynes in water: t-butanol mixture. The reaction was carried in the presence of copper sulphate and sodium ascorbate. Product 6a-s was screened for in-vitro antifungal activity. The in-vitro antifungal potential of synthesized compounds was estimated against prominent fungal strains (Candida albi-cans, Aspergillus niger and, Aspergillus clavatus). Results: The results showed that some of the synthesized compounds exhibited marked activity. Compounds 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6g, and 6q showed significant antifungal activity at micromolar con-centration. The studies revealed that some of the compounds exhibited activities more than that of reference drugs. The compound containing thiazole ring 6c is the most potent compound of the series. Conclusion: Compound 6c was found to be the most vigorous against C. albicans, A. niger, A. clavatus with MIC values of 119.4, 112.7, and 121.3 μM/mL, respectively. Our SAR study re-vealed that the introduction of the 1,2,3-triazole ring in the structure of quinine modulated its po-tency for treating fungal infection.

Statically controlled mycogenic-synthesis of novel biologically active silver-nanoparticles using Hafr Al-Batin desert truffles and its antimicrobial efficacy against pathogens

In our search for new unconventional green-reducing agent, can be applied for biosynthesis of biologically active silver-nanoparticles, fruiting bodies (Ascocarps) of Truffle Terminia sp. were collected from the sandy desert of Hafr Al-Batin, Eastern Region, Saudi Arabia. The desert truffle showed the ability to reduce AgNO3 to Ag0 depending on their high content of proteins (1.74 mg/ml) in the aqueous extract of 30 mg/ml (w/v). The response surface methodology (RSM) with 13 experiments of 2–Factors–5–Levels central composite design was applied for controlling all possible combinations of AgNO3 concentrations and pH values of reaction mixture, which directly affect the particles morphology, size and biological activity. The antimicrobial effectiveness of all synthesized nanoparticles was evaluated against the pathogenic strains by agar diffusion method. The pathogenic Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Lactobacillus cereus, and Gram-negative Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, yeast strain Candida albicans and the fungus Aspergillus niger were evaluated. The biologically active Truffle-AgNPs were characterized by UV–visible spectrophotometry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), spectrum and dynamic light scatter (DLS), and Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR). Results obtained indicated that, the statistically controlled Truffle-AgNPs have great inhibitory role affecting different pathogenic strains, which gained much attention towards application of Hafr Al-Batin-Truffle as reducing and stabilizing biomaterial for green nano-drugs biosynthesis, to resist harmful pathogens threaten human health.

Zinc(II) Complexes with Dimethyl 2,2′-Bipyridine-4,5-dicarboxylate: Structure, Antimicrobial Activity and DNA/BSA Binding Study

Two zinc(II) complexes with dimethyl 2,2′-bipyridine-4,5-dicarboxylate (py-2py) of the general formula [Zn(py-2py)X2], X = Cl− (1) and Br− (2) were synthesized and characterized by NMR, IR and UV-Vis spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Complexes 1 and 2 are isostructural and adopt a slightly distorted tetrahedral geometry with values of tetrahedral indices τ4 and τ’4 in the range of 0.80–0.85. The complexes were evaluated for their in vitro antimicrobial activity against two bacterial (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus) and two fungal strains (Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis), while their cytotoxicity was tested on the normal human lung fibroblast cell line (MRC-5) and the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. Complex 1 showed moderate activity against both Candida strains. However, this complex was twofold more cytotoxic compared to complex 2. The complexes tested had no effect on the survival rate of C. elegans. Complex 2 showed the ability to inhibit filamentation of C. albicans, while complex 1 was more effective than complex 2 in inhibiting biofilm formation. The interactions of complexes 1 and 2 with calf thymus DNA (ct-DNA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were studied to evaluate their binding affinity toward these biomolecules.

Inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 by a chitosan/α-Ag2WO4 composite generated by femtosecond laser irradiation

In the current COVID-19 pandemic, the next generation of innovative materials with enhanced anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity is urgently needed to prevent the spread of this virus within the community. Herein, we report the synthesis of chitosan/α-Ag2WO4 composites synthetized by femtosecond laser irradiation. The antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Methicilin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), and Candida albicans was determined by estimating the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal/fungicidal concentration (MBC/MFC). To assess the biocompatibility of chitosan/α-Ag2WO4 composites in a range involving MIC and MBC/MFC on keratinocytes cells (NOK-si), an alamarBlue™ assay and an MTT assay were carried out. The SARS-CoV-2 virucidal effects was analyzed in Vero E6 cells through viral titer quantified in cell culture supernatant by PFU/mL assay. Our results showed a very similar antimicrobial activity of chitosan/α-Ag2WO4 3.3 and 6.6, with the last one demonstrating a slightly better action against MSSA. The chitosan/α-Ag2WO4 9.9 showed a wide range of antimicrobial activity (0.49–31.25 µg/mL). The cytotoxicity outcomes by alamarBlue™ revealed that the concentrations of interest (MIC and MBC/MFC) were considered non-cytotoxic to all composites after 72 h of exposure. The Chitosan/α-Ag2WO4 (CS6.6/α-Ag2WO4) composite reduced the SARS-CoV-2 viral titer quantification up to 80% of the controls. Then, our results suggest that these composites are highly efficient materials to kill bacteria (Escherichia coli, Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus, and the yeast strain Candida albicans), in addition to inactivating SARS-CoV-2 by contact, through ROS production.

Evaluation of antibacterial and antifungal activities of N-benzylthienopyrimidinone derivatives

This study is part of the biological investigation of the chemical library of molecules already described by the Laboratory of Organic Chemistry and Therapeutic Chemistry of the University of Bordeaux. The main objective was to explore the contribution of a thienyl moiety attached to the pyrimidinone nucleus, in the expression of an antimicrobial activity.&#x0D; The structural modifications mainly concerned the conservation or not of the benzo fragment attached to the thienyl, the saturation or not in position-1,2 of the pyrimidinone ring, the substitution on N-benzyl with more or less lipophilic units, the modification of the orientation of the thienyl fragment with, on the one hand, the compounds in which the sulfur is located near the N1 nitrogen (series of thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4-ones) and on the other hand, compounds in which the sulfur is located near the ketone group (series of thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4-ones).&#x0D; In general, thienyl fragment with sulfur located near the ketone group and the unsaturated pyrimidinone nucleus in the 1,2-position, seem to promote a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity, with compound 9c which is active on both Gram + bacteria and Gram – bacteria studied. The same pattern was observed for antifungal activity, which is maximum with the compounds of the thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4-ones series for an MIC of 31.25 μg/ml on the strains of Candida albicans and Candida kruzei studied.&#x0D; Keywords: Thienopyrimidinones, antibacterial activity, antifungal activity.

Multi-Strain and -Species Investigation of Volatile Metabolites Emitted from Planktonic and Biofilm Candida Cultures.

Candida parapsiliosis is a prevalent neonatal pathogen that attains its virulence through its strain-specific ability to form biofilms. The use of volatilomics, the profiling of volatile metabolites from microbes is a non-invasive, simple way to identify and classify microbes; it has shown great potential for pathogen identification. Although C. parapsiliosis is one of the most common clinical fungal pathogens, its volatilome has never been characterised. In this study, planktonic volatilomes of ten clinical strains of C. parapsilosis were analysed, along with a single strain of Candida albicans. Headspace-solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were employed to analyse the samples. Species-, strain-, and media- influences on the fungal volatilomes were investigated. Twenty-four unique metabolites from the examined Candida spp. (22 from C. albicans; 18 from C. parapsilosis) were included in this study. Chemical classes detected across the samples included alcohols, fatty acid esters, acetates, thiols, sesquiterpenes, and nitrogen-containing compounds. C. albicans volatilomes were most clearly discriminated from C. parapsilosis based on the detection of unique sesquiterpene compounds. The effect of biofilm formation on the C. parapsilosis volatilomes was investigated for the first time by comparing volatilomes of a biofilm-positive strain and a biofilm-negative strain over time (0–48 h) using a novel sampling approach. Volatilomic shifts in the profiles of alcohols, ketones, acids, and acetates were observed specifically in the biofilm-forming samples and attributed to biofilm maturation. This study highlights species-specificity of Candida volatilomes, and also marks the clinical potential for volatilomics for non-invasively detecting fungal pathogens. Additionally, the range of biofilm-specificity across microbial volatilomes is potentially far-reaching, and therefore characterising these volatilomic changes in pathogenic fungal and bacterial biofilms could lead to novel opportunities for detecting severe infections early.

Short Communication: Identification of phytochemical constituents of Syzygium aromaticum L. using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and evaluation of antimicrobial activity

Abstract. Benmakhlouf Z, Benserradj O, Kellab R. 2022. Short Communication: Identification of phytochemical constituents of Syzygium aromaticum L. using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and evaluation of antimicrobial activity. Biodiversitas 23: 2586-2593. Syzygium aromaticum L. is a traditional spice that has various pharmacological activities attributed to its content of bioactive molecules. The purpose of this work is to evaluate phytochemical constituents of S. aromaticum L. extract using gas chromatography coupled spectrometry mass (CG/MS). The number detected of phenolic compounds was 45, which the most abundant being eugenol (54.63%), followed by Phenol,2-metoxy-4-(2-propenyl)-, acetate (eugenol acetate) (21.57%) and caryophyllene (16.71%). In addition, the antimicrobial activity was screened by the paper disc diffusion method for three bacterial strains, (Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Salmonella sp. and Staphylococcus aureus 6538) and by the direct contact method on three fungal strains (Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus and Candida albicans). The results showed that extract presents an inhibitory activity with all the strains tested. Salmonella sp. is very sensitive (++) to the stock solution (100mg/ml), sensitive (+) to dilutions (50 and 25) mg/ml with inhibition diameters of (16, 12, 10) mm respectively. The other bacterial strains are sensitive (+) only to the stock solution. The results of our experiment confirm that fungi strains: A. niger, A. flavus and C. albicans show a remarkable antifungal activity at 100mg/ml. The result indicated that the extract obtained from dried buds of S. aromaticum could be considered an agent for antibacterial and antifungal in the pharmaceutical field.

Inhibitory effect of a combination of baicalein and quercetin flavonoids against Candida albicans strains isolated from the female reproductive system

Flavonoids are a diverse group of compounds originating from several natural plant sources. Various biological effects of flavonoids have been reported, including antimicrobial and antifungal activities. In this study, we showed the possibility of using commercial flavonoids, i.e. baicalein and quercetin, based on natural equivalents as compounds with antifungal properties against Candida albicans species. The effects of baicalein and/or quercetin were investigated using reference C. albicans strain and 50 clinical strains isolated from vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) patients. Baicalein and quercetin MIC values against C. albicans strains ranged between 0.5 and 256 μg/ml. We observed predominantly indifferent, synergistic, or partially synergistic interactions between both flavonoids and between the flavonoids and fluconazole in the treatment of planktonic cells of the C. albicans strains. Treatment with the flavonoid complex inhibited adhesion and aggregation of cells, cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH), flocculation, biofilm formation and reduced hyphal growth. Real-time RT-PCR revealed that baicalein and quercetin in combination down-regulated the expression of biofilm-specific genes. Finally, we observed increase in the cell membrane permeability of C. albicans and its physical destruction as a result of the synergistic activity of baicalein and quercetin. Our research evidences the effectiveness of baicalein and quercetin applied in combination as potential anti-Candida agents.

Antifungal Activity of Finished Chromium Tanned Leather Containing Thyme and Tea Tree Essential Oils

Abstract Leather products provide an ideal environment for microbial growth. In order to prevent the appearance and spread of various types of microorganisms, it is treated with selected biocides and even essential oils. The aim of this paper was to investigate the antifungal activity of selected essential oils applied to finished chromium tanned leather which is intended for leather fancy products. Antifungal activity was evaluated according to the PN-EN 14119: 2005 standard. Four finished chromium tanned leathers were tested, each of which was soaked in the following essential oils: tea tree essential oil at a concentration of 1, 2 and 5% and thyme essential oil at concentration of 1, 2 and 5%. The results obtained indicated that leather finishing with thyme essential oil showed the antimicrobial activity against Aspergillus niger, Chaetomium globosum and Candida albicans strains. The application of 5% thyme essential oil to leather samples inhibited the growth of all strains tested. Using tea tree essential oil on leather samples showed a antimicrobial effect only against Candida albicans. The application of essential oils in the leather finishing process may be an alternative to biocides used in the tanning industry.

Paying attention to minutiae: Strain level differences drive disease etiology

There is increasing interest in and understanding of the role of fungi in the pathogenesis of complex diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Li etal.1 have shown that specific strains of Candida albicans preferentially produce pro-inflammatory phenotypes that could be related to IBD.

Green synthesis of selenium nanoparticles and evaluate their effect on the expression of ERG3, ERG11 and FKS1 antifungal resistance genes in Candida albicans and Candida glabrata.

Drug resistance in Candida species has been considerably increased in the last decades. Given the opposition to antifungal agents, toxicity and interactions of the antimicrobial drugs, identifying new antifungal agents seems essential. This study assessed the antifungal effects of nanoparticles (NPs) on the standard strains of Candida albicans and Candida glabrata and determined the expression genes, including ERG3, ERG11 and FKS1. Selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs) were biosynthesized with a standard strain of C. albicans and approved by several methods including, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer, X-ray diffraction technique, Fourier-transform infrared analysis, field-emission scanning electron microscopy and EDX diagram. The antifungal susceptibility testing performed the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) using the CLSI M27-A3 and M27-S4 broth microdilution method. The expression of the desired genes was examined by the real-time PCR assay between untreated and treated by antifungal drugs and Se-NPs. The MICs of itraconazole, amphotericin B and anidulafungin against C. albicans and C. glabrata were 64, 16 and 4 µg ml-1 . In comparison, reduced the MIC values for samples treated with Se-NPs to 1 and 0·5 µg ml-1 . The results obtained from real-time PCR and analysis of the ∆∆Cq values showed that the expression of ERG3, ERG11 and FKS1 genes was significantly down-regulated in Se-NPs concentrations (P < 0·05). This study's evidence implies biosafety Se-NPs have favourable effects on the reducing expression of ERG3, ERG11 and FKS1 antifungal resistance genes in C. albicans and C. glabrata.

Impact of Indazole Scaffold as Antibacterial and Antifungal Agent.

Heterocycles consisting of a nitrogen atom, Indazole, is a pungent, biological, heterocyclic, bicyclic compound possessing electron-rich portions. Indazole is composed of two nitrogen atoms put under the azoles family, further called isoindazolone. It is colorless solid nitrogen- containing heterocyclics with atomic formula-C7H6N2 are extraordinary scaffolds, still identified as isoindazole. Therefore, analogs of Indazole have experienced expert approaches in later times because of its special biological properties, such as anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti- HIV and antihypertensive actions. 1H-indazole and 2H-indazole are two toutomeric forms of Indazole. Sometimes, indazole produces three tautomeric forms that are 1H, 2H and 3H tautomers of indazole. 1H-indazole is reliable than 2H-indazole. We should note that a series of derivatives of indazole having 2H toutomers follow hybridization of cyclic systems and act as anti-inflammatory as well as anti-microbial compounds. It formed Indazole itself and derivatives of Indazole in natural products. A sequence of N-methyl-3-aryl inazoles has dominant against bacterial strains like xanthomon as campstris, Baillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus megaterium and a fungal strain candida albicans found by in-vitro anti-microbial study of indazole derivatives.