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de Oliveira HC, Santos MDM, Camillo-Andrade AC, Castelli RF, Dos Reis FCG, Carvalho PC, Rodrigues ML. Proteomics reveals that the antifungal activity of fenbendazole against Cryptococcus neoformans requires protein kinases. Int J Antimicrob Agents 2024; 63:107157. [PMID: 38548248 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2024.107157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
Cryptococcus neoformans is responsible for over 100 000 deaths annually, and the treatment of this fungal disease is expensive and not consistently effective. Unveiling new therapeutic avenues is crucial. Previous studies have suggested that the anthelmintic drug fenbendazole is an affordable and nontoxic candidate to combat cryptococcosis. However, its mechanism of anticryptococcal activity has been only superficially investigated. In this study, we examined the global cellular response of C. neoformans to fenbendazole using a proteomic approach (data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD047041). Fenbendazole treatment mostly impacted the abundance of proteins related to metabolic pathways, RNA processing, and intracellular traffic. Protein kinases, in particular, were significantly affected by fenbendazole treatment. Experimental validation of the proteomics data using a collection of C. neoformans mutants led to the identification of critical roles of five protein kinases in fenbendazole's antifungal activity. In fact, mutants lacking the expression of genes encoding Chk1, Tco2, Tco3, Bub1, and Sch9 kinases demonstrated greater resistance to fenbendazole compared to wild-type cells. In combination with the standard antifungal drug amphotericin B, fenbendazole reduced the cryptococcal burden in mice. These findings not only contribute to the elucidation of fenbendazole's mode of action but also support its use in combination therapy with amphotericin B. In conclusion, our data suggest that fenbendazole holds promise for further development as an anticryptococcal agent.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marlon D M Santos
- Instituto Carlos Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Curitiba, Brazil; Analytical Biochemistry and Proteomics Unit. IIBCE/Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Amanda C Camillo-Andrade
- Instituto Carlos Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Curitiba, Brazil; Analytical Biochemistry and Proteomics Unit. IIBCE/Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Rafael F Castelli
- Instituto Carlos Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Flavia C G Dos Reis
- Instituto Carlos Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Curitiba, Brazil; Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico em Saúde (CDTS), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Paulo C Carvalho
- Instituto Carlos Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Marcio L Rodrigues
- Instituto Carlos Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Curitiba, Brazil; Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Coelho RA, Figueiredo-Carvalho MHG, Almeida-Silva F, de Souza Rabello VB, de Souza GR, Sangenito LS, Joffe LS, Santos ALSD, da Silva Lourenço MC, Rodrigues ML, Almeida-Paes R. Repurposing Benzimidazoles against Causative Agents of Chromoblastomycosis: Albendazole Has Superior In Vitro Activity Than Mebendazole and Thiabendazole. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:753. [PMID: 37504741 PMCID: PMC10381309 DOI: 10.3390/jof9070753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Chromoblastomycosis (CBM) is a neglected human implantation mycosis caused by several dematiaceous fungal species. Currently available therapy is usually associated with physical methods, especially surgery, and with high refractoriness. Therefore, drug discovery for CBM is essential. Drug repositioning is a strategy used to facilitate the discovery of new treatments for several diseases. The aim of this study was to discover substances with antifungal activity against CBM agents from a collection of drugs previously approved for use in human diseases. A screening was performed with the NIH Clinical Collection against Fonsecaea pedrosoi. Ten substances, with clinical applicability in CBM, inhibited fungal growth by at least 60%. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of these substances was determined against other CBM agents, and the benzimidazoles albendazole, mebendazole and thiabendazole presented the lowest MIC values. The selectivity index, based on MIC and cytotoxicity of these substances, revealed albendazole to be more selective. To investigate a possible synergism of this benzimidazole with itraconazole and terbinafine, the chequerboard method was used. All interactions were classified as indifferent. Our current results suggest that benzimidazoles have repositioning potential against CBM agents. Albendazole seems to be the most promising, since it presented the highest selectivity against all dematiaceous fungi tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rowena Alves Coelho
- Laboratório de Micologia, Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, INI/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, RJ, Brazil
| | | | - Fernando Almeida-Silva
- Laboratório de Micologia, Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, INI/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, RJ, Brazil
| | - Vanessa Brito de Souza Rabello
- Laboratório de Micologia, Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, INI/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, RJ, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Rodrigues de Souza
- Plataforma de Bioensaios RPT 11B, Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, INI/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, RJ, Brazil
| | - Leandro Stefano Sangenito
- Laboratório de Estudos Avançados de Microrganismos Emergentes e Resistentes, Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Goés, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio de Janeiro, Nilópolis 26530-060, RJ, Brazil
| | - Luna Sobrino Joffe
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11792, USA
| | - André Luis Souza Dos Santos
- Laboratório de Estudos Avançados de Microrganismos Emergentes e Resistentes, Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Goés, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
- Rede Micologia RJ, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-901, RJ, Brazil
| | - Maria Cristina da Silva Lourenço
- Plataforma de Bioensaios RPT 11B, Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, INI/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, RJ, Brazil
| | - Marcio L Rodrigues
- Instituto Carlos Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Curitiba 81350-010, PR, Brazil
- Instituto de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Almeida-Paes
- Laboratório de Micologia, Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, INI/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, RJ, Brazil
- Rede Micologia RJ, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ), Rio de Janeiro 21941-901, RJ, Brazil
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The development and validation of sensitive LC-MS/MS method for quantitative bioanalysis of carmofur in mouse plasma and its application to pharmacokinetic study. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2022; 1212:123516. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2022.123516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Campana R, Fanelli F, Sisti M. Role of melanin in the black yeast fungi Aureobasidium pullulans and Zalaria obscura in promoting tolerance to environmental stresses and to antimicrobial compounds. Fungal Biol 2022; 126:817-825. [PMID: 36517149 DOI: 10.1016/j.funbio.2022.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The role of melanin in Aureobasidium pullulans ATCC 15233 and Zalaria obscura LS31012019, under simulated osmotic, oxidative, and high temperature stress conditions, on the susceptibility to essential oils (EOs) or antifungals and on the resistance to UV-C radiation was investigated. 93.6% of melanized A. pullulans and 92% of Z. obscura survived to 40 °C for 1 h compared to 77% and 76% of the non-melanized ones, while both yeasts tolerated a high concentration of NaCl (up to 30%) and H2O2 (up to 400 mM) regardless of melanin production. Higher EOs antifungal efficacy was observed in non-melanized cells (growth inhibition zone >30 mm) compared to the melanized ones (25 mm). Similarly, the lowest Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) and Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC) values were evidenced for Fluconazole, Clotrimazole, Bifonazole and Amphotericin in the non-melanized fungi. Increasing UV-C intensity (up to 2004.5 J/m2) caused total death in the non-melanized strains compared to about 30% growth reduction in the melanized ones. The results of this investigation, the first focused on the biological role of melanin in "black-fungi", are novel and encourage a better understanding of the biochemical features of melanin in the environmental adaptive ability of the new species Z. obscura.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaella Campana
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy.
| | - Fabiana Fanelli
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
| | - Maurizio Sisti
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy
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Islam MM, Mirza SP. Versatile use of Carmofur: A comprehensive review of its chemistry and pharmacology. Drug Dev Res 2022; 83:1505-1518. [PMID: 36031762 DOI: 10.1002/ddr.21984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Carmofur, 1-hexylcarbamoyl-5-fluorouracil (HCFU) is an antineoplastic drug, which has been in clinics in Japan since 1981 for the treatment of colorectal cancer. Subsequently, it was also introduced in China, Korea, and Finland. Besides colorectal cancer, it has also shown antitumor activity in other cancers such as breast, head and neck, pancreatic, gastrointestinal, and solid brain tumors. A prodrug of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), carmofur has shown better gastrointestinal stability and superior antiproliferative activity compared to its active counterpart 5-FU. Recently, carmofur has gained attention as an acid ceramidase inhibitor and as a potential lead compound against several noncancerous diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019, Krabbe disease, acute lung injury, Parkinson's disease, dementia, childhood ependymoma etc. Carmofur has also been reported to have antifungal, and antimicrobial properties. Nevertheless, no comprehensive review is available on this drug. Herein, we summarized the chemistry, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacology of carmofur based on the literature published between January 1976 and March 2022 as identified from PubMed and Google Scholar search engines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Mohiminul Islam
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Shama P Mirza
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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Teymuri M, Shams-Ghahfarokhi M, Razzaghi-Abyaneh M. Inhibitory effects and mechanism of antifungal action of the natural cyclic depsipeptide, aureobasidin A against Cryptococcus neoformans. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2021; 41:128013. [PMID: 33811994 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2021.128013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Cryptococcosis is an opportunistic fungal infection caused mainly by Cryptococcus neoformans. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the inhibitory effect of aureobasidin A on C. neoformans with special focus on its mode of action. The effect of aureobasidin A on cell membrane ergosterol content, cell wall permeability, membrane pumps activities, the total oxidant status (TOS) and melanin production was evaluated. Cytotoxicity and cell hemolysis, and laccase (LacI) and β1,2-xylosyltransferase (Cxt1p) gene expression were also evaluated. Aureobasidin A reduced melanin production and increased extracellular potassium leakage at 0.5 × MIC concentration. This peptide has no effect on fungal cell wall integrity. Cell membrane ergosterol content was decreased by 29.1% and 41.8% at 0.5 × MIC and 1 × MIC concentrations (2 and 4 µL/mL) in aureobasidin A treated samples, respectively. TOS level was significantly increased without activation of antioxidant enzymes. Lac1 gene was over-expressed (11.7-fold), while Cxt1p gene was down regulated (0.2-fold) following treatment with aureobasidin A. Overall, our results indicated that aureobasidin A inhibits C. neoformans growth by targeting different sites in fungal cells and it may be considered as a promising compound to use as an antifungal in treatment of clinical cryptococcosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mostafa Teymuri
- Department of Mycology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 14115-331, Iran
| | - Masoomeh Shams-Ghahfarokhi
- Department of Mycology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 14115-331, Iran.
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