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Fabri RL, Freitas JCO, Lemos ASO, Campos LM, Diniz IOM, Pinto NCC, Silva TP, Palazzi C, Marchesini P, Monteiro C, Barbosa AF, Carvalho MG, Chedier LM, Araújo MGF, Apolônio ACM, Rocha VN, Melo RCN, Pinto PF. Spilanthol as a promising antifungal alkylamide for the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis. Med Mycol 2021; 59:1210-1224. [PMID: 34468763 DOI: 10.1093/mmy/myab054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Spilanthol is a bioactive alkylamide from the native Amazon plant species, Acmella oleracea. However, antifungal activities of spilanthol and its application to the therapeutic treatment of candidiasis remain to be explored. This study sought to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo antifungal activity of spilanthol previously isolated from A. oleracea (spilanthol(AcO)) against Candida albicans ATCC® 10231™, a multidrug-resistant fungal strain. Microdilution methods were used to determine inhibitory and fungicidal concentrations of spilanthol(AcO). In planktonic cultures, the fungal growth kinetics, yeast cell metabolic activity, cell membrane permeability and cell wall integrity were investigated. The effect of spilanthol(AcO) on the proliferation and adhesion of fungal biofilms was evaluated by whole slide imaging and scanning electron microscopy. The biochemical composition of the biofilm matrix was also analyzed. In parallel, spilanthol(AcO) was tested in vivo in an experimental vulvovaginal candidiasis model. Our in vitro analyses in C. albicans planktonic cultures detected a significant inhibitory effect of spilanthol(AcO), which affects both yeast cell membrane and cell wall integrity, interfering with the fungus growth. C. albicans biofilm proliferation and adhesion, as well as, carbohydrates and DNA in biofilm matrix were reduced after spilanthol(AcO) treatment. Moreover, infected rats treated with spilanthol(AcO) showed consistent reduction of both fungal burden and inflammatory processes compared to the untreated animals. Altogether, our findings demonstrated that spilanthol(AcO) is an bioactive compound against planktonic and biofilm forms of a multidrug resistant C. albicans strain. Furthermore, spilanthol(AcO) can be potentially considered for therapeutical treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis caused by C. albicans. LAY SUMMARY This study sought to evaluate the antifungal activity of spilanthol against Candida albicans ATCC® 10 231™, a multidrug-resistant fungal strain. Our findings demonstrated that spilanthol(AcO) can be potentially considered for therapeutical treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis caused by C. albicans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo L Fabri
- Bioactive Natural Products Laboratory and Protein Structure and Function Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, CEP 36036-900, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
| | - Jhamine C O Freitas
- Bioactive Natural Products Laboratory and Protein Structure and Function Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, CEP 36036-900, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
| | - Ari S O Lemos
- Bioactive Natural Products Laboratory and Protein Structure and Function Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, CEP 36036-900, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
| | - Lara M Campos
- Bioactive Natural Products Laboratory and Protein Structure and Function Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, CEP 36036-900, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
| | - Irley O M Diniz
- Bioactive Natural Products Laboratory and Protein Structure and Function Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, CEP 36036-900, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
| | - Nícolas C C Pinto
- Bioactive Natural Products Laboratory and Protein Structure and Function Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, CEP 36036-900, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
| | - Thiago P Silva
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, CEP 36036-900, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
| | - Cinthia Palazzi
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, CEP 36036-900, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
| | - Paula Marchesini
- Post-graduate Program in Veterinary Science, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, CEP 323897-970, Seropédica, RJ, Brazil
| | - Caio Monteiro
- Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, CEP 374690-000, Goiânia, Go, Brazil
| | - Alan F Barbosa
- Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Mato Grosso, CEP 378890-000, Sorriso, MG, Brazil
| | - Mário G Carvalho
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Exact Sciences, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, CEP 323897-970, Seropédica, RJ, Brazil
| | - Luciana M Chedier
- Department of Botany, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, CEP 36036-900, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
| | - Marcelo G F Araújo
- Federal University of São João Del-Rei, Campus Centro Oeste Dona Lindu, CEP 35501-296, Divinópolis, MG, Brazil
| | - Ana Carolina M Apolônio
- Department of Parasitology, Microbiology and Imunology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, CEP 36036-900, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
| | - Vinícius N Rocha
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, CEP 36036-900, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
| | - Rossana C N Melo
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, CEP 36036-900, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
| | - Priscila F Pinto
- Bioactive Natural Products Laboratory and Protein Structure and Function Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, CEP 36036-900, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
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Raas MWD, Silva TP, Freitas JCO, Campos LM, Fabri RL, Melo RCN. Whole slide imaging is a high-throughput method to assess Candida biofilm formation. Microbiol Res 2021; 250:126806. [PMID: 34157481 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2021.126806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
New strategies that enable fast and accurate visualization of Candida biofilms are necessary to better study their structure and response to antifungals agents. Here, we applied whole slide imaging (WSI) to study biofilm formation of Candida species. Three relevant biofilm-forming Candida species (C. albicans ATCC 10231, C. glabrata ATCC 2001, and C. tropicalis ATCC 750) were cultivated on glass coverslips both in presence and absence of widely used antifungals. Accumulated biofilms were stained with fluorescent markers and scanned in both bright-field and fluorescence modes using a WSI digital scanner. WSI enabled clear assessment of both size and structural features of Candida biofilms. Quantitative analyses readily detected reductions in biofilm-covered surface area upon antifungal exposure. Furthermore, we show that the overall biofilm growth can be adequately assessed across both bright-field and fluorescence modes. At the single-cell level, WSI proved adequate, as morphometric parameters evaluated with WSI did not differ significantly from those obtained with scanning electron microscopy, considered as golden standard at single-cell resolution. Thus, WSI allows for reliable visualization of Candida biofilms enabling both large-scale growth assessment and morphometric characterization of single-cell features, making it an important addition to the available microscopic toolset to image and analyse fungal biofilm growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian W D Raas
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Biology, ICB, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, UFJF, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil; Faculty of Medical Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Thiago P Silva
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Biology, ICB, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, UFJF, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
| | - Jhamine C O Freitas
- Bioactive Natural Products Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, UFJF, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
| | - Lara M Campos
- Bioactive Natural Products Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, UFJF, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo L Fabri
- Bioactive Natural Products Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, UFJF, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil
| | - Rossana C N Melo
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Biology, ICB, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, UFJF, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil.
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Mohammadi F, Ghasemi Z, Familsatarian B, Salehi E, Sharifynia S, Barikani A, Mirzadeh M, Hosseini MA. Relationship between antifungal susceptibility profile and virulence factors in Candida albicans isolated from nail specimens. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop 2020; 53:e20190214. [PMID: 32049200 PMCID: PMC7083380 DOI: 10.1590/0037-8682-0214-2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to evaluate some virulence factors in Candida albicans isolates from patients with onychomycosis and determine the correlation between these factors and the antifungal resistance profile. METHODS Seventy species of C. albicans were confirmed using polymerase chain reaction amplification of the HWP1 gene. According to the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines, the susceptibility profile of four antifungal agents was investigated, and the production of aspartyl protease, phospholipase, haemolysin, and biofilm was determined. The correlation between these profiles was also investigated. RESULTS The isolates indicated different levels of resistance and production of virulence factors. Significant correlations were observed between the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of fluconazole/itraconazole and biofilm production, between phospholipase production and fluconazole/itraconazole MIC, and between fluconazole MIC and hemolytic activity in C. albicans isolates. The results also showed significant correlations between phospholipase activity and biofilm production. CONCLUSIONS Our findings will contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of C. albicans and characterize the relationship between virulence factors and antifungal resistance, which may suggest new therapeutic strategies considering the possible involvement of the virulence mechanism in the effectiveness of treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faezeh Mohammadi
- Medical Microbiology Research Center, Qazvin university of Medical Science, Qazvin, Iran
| | | | - Behnaz Familsatarian
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
| | | | - Somayeh Sharifynia
- Clinical Tuberculosis and Epidemiology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ameneh Barikani
- Children Growth Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Science, Qazvin, Iran
| | - Monirsadat Mirzadeh
- Metabolic Disease Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
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