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Rathee A, Solanki P, Verma S, Vohora D, Ansari MJ, Aodah A, Kohli K, Sultana Y. Simultaneous Determination of Posaconazole and Hemp Seed Oil in Nanomicelles through RP-HPLC via a Quality-by-Design Approach. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:30057-30067. [PMID: 37636934 PMCID: PMC10448652 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c02097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
The present study involves the development of a reverse-phase HPLC method employing the quality-by-design methodology for the estimation of posaconazole and hemp seed oil simultaneously in nanomicelles formulation. The successful separation of posaconazole and hemp seed oil was achieved together, and this is the first study to develop and quantify posaconazole and hemp seed oil nanomicelles with linoleic acid as the internal standard and developed a dual drug analytical method employing a quality-by-design approach. The study was performed on a Shimadzu Prominence-I LC-2030C 3D Plus HPLC system with a PDA detector and the Shim-pack Solar C8 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm × 5 μm) for analysis with a mobile phase ratio of methanol:water (80:20% v/v) maintaining the flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The final wavelength was selected as 240 nm and the elution of hemp seed oil and posaconazole was obtained at 2.7 and 4.6 min, respectively, with a maximum run time of 8.0 min. Box Behnken design was employed to optimize the method, keeping the retention time, peak area, and theoretical plates as dependent variables, while the mobile phase composition, flow rate, and wavelengths were chosen as independent variables. Parameters such as specificity, accuracy, robustness, linearity, sensitivity, precision, ruggedness, and forced degradation study were performed to validate the method. The calibration curves of posaconazole and hemp seed oil were determined to be linear throughout the range for concentration. The suggested approach can be effectively utilized for estimating the content of drugs from their nanoformulation and proved suitable for both in vivo and in vitro research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjali Rathee
- Department
of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi 110062, India
| | - Pavitra Solanki
- Department
of Pharmaceutics, Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences
and Research University, Pushp Vihar, Sec-III, New Delhi 110017, India
| | - Surajpal Verma
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Delhi Pharmaceutical
Sciences and Research University, Pushp Vihar, Sec-III, New Delhi 110017, India
| | - Divya Vohora
- Department
of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi 110062, India
| | - Mohammad Javed Ansari
- Department
of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Prince
Sattam Bin Abdul Aziz University, Al-kharj 11231, Saudi Arabia
| | - Alhussain Aodah
- Department
of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Prince
Sattam Bin Abdul Aziz University, Al-kharj 11231, Saudi Arabia
| | - Kanchan Kohli
- Lloyd Institute
of Management and Technology, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201306, India
| | - Yasmin Sultana
- Department
of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi 110062, India
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In vitro and in vivo antifungal activities and mechanism of heteropolytungstates against Candida species. Sci Rep 2017; 7:16942. [PMID: 29209074 PMCID: PMC5717275 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-17239-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2017] [Accepted: 11/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The antifungal activities of heteropolytungstates, α-1,2,3-K6H[SiW9V3O40] (SiW-3), K13[Ce(SiW11O39)2]·17H2O (SiW-5), K13[Eu(SiW11O39)2]·25H2O (SiW-10), K6PV3W9O40 (PW-6), α-K4PVW11O40 (PW-8), were screened in 29 Candida albicans, 8 Candida glabrata, 3 Candida krusei, 2 Candida parapsilosis, 1 Candida tropicalis, and 1 Cryptococcus neoformans strains using the CLSI M27-A3 method. SiW-5 had the highest efficacy with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of <0.2–10.2 μM in vitro. The antifungal mechanism, acute toxicity and in vivo antifungal activity of SiW-5 were then evaluated in C. albicans. The results showed that SiW-5 damaged the fungal cell membrane, reduce the ergosterol content and its main mode of action was through inhibition of ergosterol biosynthesis. Real-time PCR showed that ERG1, ERG7, ERG11 and ERG28 were all significantly upregulated by SiW-5. An acute toxicity study showed the 50% lethal dose (LD50) of SiW-5 for ICR mice was 1651.5 mg/kg. And in vivo antifungal studies demonstrated that SiW-5 reduced both the morbidity and fungal burden of mice infected with C. albicans. This study demonstrates that SiW-5 is a potential antifungal candidate against the Candida species.
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Jia Y, Xu B, Xu J. Effects of type 2 diabetes mellitus on the pharmacokinetics of berberine in rats. PHARMACEUTICAL BIOLOGY 2017; 55:510-515. [PMID: 27937081 PMCID: PMC6130524 DOI: 10.1080/13880209.2016.1255649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Berberine is an active alkaloid isolated from Rhizoma coptidis [Coptis chinensis Franch. (Ranunculaceae)] that is widely used for the treatment of diabetes, hyperlipidemia and hypertension. However, the pharmacokinetics of berberine in normal rats and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) model rats are not clear. OBJECTIVE This study compares the pharmacokinetics of berberine between normal and T2DM model rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS The T2DM model rats were fed with high fat diet for 4 weeks, induced by low-dose (30 mg/kg) streptozotocin for 72 h and validated by determining the peripheral blood glucose level. Rats were orally treated with berberine at a dose of 20 mg/kg and then berberine concentration in rat plasma was determined by employing a sensitive and rapid LC-MS/MS method. RESULTS The significantly different pharmacokinetic behaviour of berberine was observed between normal and T2DM model rats. When compared with the normal group, Cmax, t1/2 and AUC(0-t) of berberine were significantly increased in the model group (17.35 ± 3.24 vs 34.41 ± 4.25 μg/L; 3.95 ± 1.27 vs 9.29 ± 2.75 h; 151.21 ± 23.96 vs 283.81 ± 53.92 μg/h/L, respectively). In addition, oral clearance of berberine was significantly decreased in the model group (134.73 ± 32.15 vs 62.55 ± 16.34 L/h/kg). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION In T2DM model rats, the pharmacokinetic behaviour of berberine was significantly altered, which indicated that berberine dosage should be modified in T2DM patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuzhen Jia
- Department of Pediatrics, Yidu Central Hospital of Weifang, Shandong, China
| | - Binger Xu
- Department of Pediatrics, Yidu Central Hospital of Weifang, Shandong, China
| | - Jisen Xu
- Department of Pediatrics, Yidu Central Hospital of Weifang, Shandong, China
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New 2-aryl-7,8-dimethoxy-3,4-dihydroisoquinolin-2-ium salts as potential antifungal agents: synthesis, bioactivity and structure-activity relationships. Sci Rep 2017; 7:7537. [PMID: 28790333 PMCID: PMC5548800 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-07303-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2017] [Accepted: 06/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The title compounds can be considered as simple analogues of quaternary benzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloids (QBAs). In order to develop potent QBA-like antifungal agents, as our continuing study, a series of new title compounds were synthesized and evaluated for bioactivity against five plant pathogenic fungi by the mycelium growth rate method in this study. The SAR were also derived. The majority of the compounds showed good to excellent inhibition activity with average EC50 values of 7.87–20.0 μM for the fungi, superior to sanguinarine and cherythrine (two QBAs) and the commercial fungicide azoxystrobin. Part of the compounds were more active than commercial fungicides thiabendazole or carbendazim against F. solani, F. graminearum and C. gloeosporioides. Six compounds with average EC50 of 3.5–5.1 μg/mL possessed very great potential for development of new antifungal agents. SAR found that substitution patterns of the two aryl-rings significantly affect the activity. There exists a complex interaction effect between substituents of the two aryl-rings on the activity. Generally, the presence of electron-withdrawing groups on the C-ring can significantly increase the activity. These findings will be of great importance for the design of more potent antifungal isoquinoline agents.
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Cong L, Liao Y, Yang S, Yang R. In Vitro Activity of Berberine Alone and in Combination with Antifungal Drugs Against Planktonic Forms and Biofilms of Trichosporon Asahii. Mycopathologia 2017; 182:829-837. [DOI: 10.1007/s11046-017-0119-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Berberine Inhibition of Fibrogenesis in a Rat Model of Liver Fibrosis and in Hepatic Stellate Cells. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2016; 2016:8762345. [PMID: 27239214 PMCID: PMC4867075 DOI: 10.1155/2016/8762345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Aim. To examine the effect of berberine (BBR) on liver fibrosis and its possible mechanisms through direct effects on hepatic stellate cells (HSC). Methods. The antifibrotic effect of BBR was determined in a rat model of bile duct ligation- (BDL-) induced liver fibrosis. Multiple cellular and molecular approaches were introduced to examine the effects of BBR on HSC. Results. BBR potently inhibited hepatic fibrosis induced by BDL in rats. It exhibited cytotoxicity to activated HSC at doses nontoxic to hepatocytes. High doses of BBR induced apoptosis of activated HSC, which was mediated by loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and Bcl-2/Bax imbalance. Low doses of BBR suppressed activation of HSC as evidenced by the inhibition of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression and cell motility. BBR did not affect Smad2/3 phosphorylation but significantly activated 5' AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signalling, which was responsible for the transcriptional inhibition by BBR of profibrogenic factors α-SMA and collagen in HSC. Conclusion. BBR is a promising agent for treating liver fibrosis through multiple mechanisms, at least partially by directly targeting HSC and by inhibiting the AMPK pathway. Its value as an antifibrotic drug in patients with liver disease deserves further investigation.
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Li XY, Zhao ZX, Huang M, Feng R, He CY, Ma C, Luo SH, Fu J, Wen BY, Ren L, Shou JW, Guo F, Chen Y, Gao X, Wang Y, Jiang JD. Effect of Berberine on promoting the excretion of cholesterol in high-fat diet-induced hyperlipidemic hamsters. J Transl Med 2015; 13:278. [PMID: 26310319 PMCID: PMC4549888 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-015-0629-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2015] [Accepted: 08/04/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Berberine (BBR), as a new medicine for hyperlipidemia, can reduce the blood lipids in patients. Mechanistic studies have shown that BBR activates the extracellular-signal regulated kinase pathway by stabilizing low-density-lipoprotein receptor mRNA. However, aside from inhibiting the intestinal absorption of cholesterol, the effects of BBR on other metabolic pathways of cholesterol have not been reported. This study aimed to investigate the action of BBR on the excretion of cholesterol in high-fat diet-induced hyperlipidemic hamsters. Methods Golden hamsters were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 6 weeks to induce hyperlipidemia, followed by oral treatment with 50 and 100 mg/kg/day of BBR or 10 and 30 mg/kg/day of lovastatin for 10 days, respectively. The levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), transaminases, and total bile acid in the serum, liver, bile and feces were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The cholesterol (as well as coprostanol) levels in the liver, bile and feces were determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Results The HFD hamsters showed significantly hyperlipidemic characteristics compared with the normal hamsters. Treatment with BBR for 10 days reduced the serum TC, TG and LDL-C levels in HFD hamsters by 44–70, 34–51 and 47–71 %, respectively, and this effect was both dose- and time-dependent. Initially, a large amount of cholesterol accumulated in the hyperlipidemic hamster livers. After BBR treatment, reductions in the liver cholesterol were observed by day 3 and became significant by day 7 at both doses (P < 0.001). Meanwhile, bile cholesterol was elevated by day 3 and significantly increased at day 10 (P < 0.001). BBR promoted cholesterol excretion from the liver into the bile in hyperlipidemic hamsters but not in normal hamsters, and these results provide a link between the cholesterol-lowering effect of BBR with cholesterol excretion into the bile. Conclusions We conclude that BBR significantly promoted the excretion of cholesterol from the liver to the bile in hyperlipidemic hamsters, which led to large decreases in the serum TC, TG and LDL-C levels. Additionally, compared with lovastatin, the BBR treatment produced no obvious side effects on the liver function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Yang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China.
| | - Zhen-Xiong Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China.
| | - Min Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China.
| | - Ru Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China.
| | - Chi-Yu He
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China.
| | - Chao Ma
- Beijing Analytical Application Center, Shimadzu (China) Co., Ltd., Beijing, 100020, China.
| | - Shi-Heng Luo
- Beijing Analytical Application Center, Shimadzu (China) Co., Ltd., Beijing, 100020, China.
| | - Jie Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China.
| | - Bao-Ying Wen
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China.
| | - Long Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China.
| | - Jia-Wen Shou
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China.
| | - Fang Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China.
| | - Yangchao Chen
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong, China.
| | - Xin Gao
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
| | - Yan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China.
| | - Jian-Dong Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China. .,Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences/Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100050, China.
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Tan XS, Ma JY, Feng R, Ma C, Chen WJ, Sun YP, Fu J, Huang M, He CY, Shou JW, He WY, Wang Y, Jiang JD. Tissue distribution of berberine and its metabolites after oral administration in rats. PLoS One 2013; 8:e77969. [PMID: 24205048 PMCID: PMC3815028 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0077969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 171] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2013] [Accepted: 09/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Berberine (BBR) has been confirmed to have multiple bioactivities in clinic, such as cholesterol-lowering, anti-diabetes, cardiovascular protection and anti- inflammation. However, BBR's plasma level is very low; it cannot explain its pharmacological effects in patients. We consider that the in vivo distribution of BBR as well as of its bioactive metabolites might provide part of the explanation for this question. In this study, liquid chromatography coupled to ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/MS(n)-IT-TOF) as well as liquid chromatography that coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used for the study of tissue distribution and pharmacokinetics of BBR in rats after oral administration (200 mg/kg). The results indicated that BBR was quickly distributed in the liver, kidneys, muscle, lungs, brain, heart, pancreas and fat in a descending order of its amount. The pharmacokinetic profile indicated that BBR's level in most of studied tissues was higher (or much higher) than that in plasma 4 h after administration. BBR remained relatively stable in the tissues like liver, heart, brain, muscle, pancreas etc. Organ distribution of BBR's metabolites was also investigated paralleled with that of BBR. Thalifendine (M1), berberrubine (M2) and jatrorrhizine (M4), which the metabolites with moderate bioactivity, were easily detected in organs like the liver and kidney. For instance, M1, M2 and M4 were the major metabolites in the liver, among which the percentage of M2 was up to 65.1%; the level of AUC (0-t) (area under the concentration-time curve) for BBR or the metabolites in the liver was 10-fold or 30-fold higher than that in plasma, respectively. In summary, the organ concentration of BBR (as well as its bioactive metabolites) was higher than its concentration in the blood after oral administration. It might explain BBR's pharmacological effects on human diseases in clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang-Shan Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jing-Yi Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Ru Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Chao Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Wen-Jing Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yu-Peng Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Min Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Chi-Yu He
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jia-Wen Shou
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Wen-Yi He
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- * E-mail: (YW); (JDJ)
| | - Jian-Dong Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- * E-mail: (YW); (JDJ)
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Campbell BC, Chan KL, Kim JH. Chemosensitization as a means to augment commercial antifungal agents. Front Microbiol 2012; 3:79. [PMID: 22393330 PMCID: PMC3289909 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2012.00079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2011] [Accepted: 02/15/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimycotic chemosensitization and its mode of action are of growing interest. Currently, use of antifungal agents in agriculture and medicine has a number of obstacles. Foremost of these is development of resistance or cross-resistance to one or more antifungal agents. The generally high expense and negative impact, or side effects, associated with antifungal agents are two further issues of concern. Collectively, these problems are exacerbated by efforts to control resistant strains, which can evolve into a treadmill of higher dosages for longer periods. This cycle in turn, inflates cost of treatment, dramatically. A further problem is stagnation in development of new and effective antifungal agents, especially for treatment of human mycoses. Efforts to overcome some of these issues have involved using combinations of available antimycotics (e.g., combination therapy for invasive mycoses). However, this approach has had inconsistent success and is often associated with a marked increase in negative side effects. Chemosensitization by natural compounds to increase effectiveness of commercial antimycotics is a somewhat new approach to dealing with the aforementioned problems. The potential for safe natural products to improve antifungal activity has been observed for over three decades. Chemosensitizing agents possess antifungal activity, but at insufficient levels to serve as antimycotics, alone. Their main function is to disrupt fungal stress response, destabilize the structural integrity of cellular and vacuolar membranes or stimulate production of reactive oxygen species, augmenting oxidative stress and apoptosis. Use of safe chemosensitizing agents has potential benefit to both agriculture and medicine. When co-applied with a commercial antifungal agent, an additive or synergistic interaction may occur, augmenting antifungal efficacy. This augmentation, in turn, lowers effective dosages, costs, negative side effects and, in some cases, countermands resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce C. Campbell
- Plant Mycotoxin Research Unit, Western Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of AgricultureAlbany, CA, USA
| | - Kathleen L. Chan
- Plant Mycotoxin Research Unit, Western Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of AgricultureAlbany, CA, USA
| | - Jong H. Kim
- Plant Mycotoxin Research Unit, Western Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of AgricultureAlbany, CA, USA
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