No abstract

Pathogenicity of fungi is connected with their ability to easily penetrate the host tissues, survive in the infected host organism and use the elements of the host tissues as nutrients. Hence, the co-occurrence of pathogenic properties with the high enzymatic activity, which is manifested through the production of various enzymes including extracellular enzymes, was observed. It can be expected that it is possible to decrease fungal pathogenicity by lowering their enzymatic activity. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of nicotinamide on enzymatic activity of the fungi, which are most frequently isolated in cases of skin infection. Enzymatic activity was analysed using 15 Candida albicans, 15 Trichophyton rubrum and 15 Trichophyton mentagrophytes strains. The strains used for the study were collected from the current diagnostic material. API ZYM tests were used in diagnostic analysis. MICs of nicotinamide were determined by the macrodilution method in liquid medium. In the case of Candida strains, the presence of nicotinamide in the broth had a significant effect on the decrease of enzymatic activity (P < 0.05) of esterase (C4), esterase lipase (C-8), valin-arylamidase, acid phosphatase and alpha-glycosydase. A considerably stronger effect of nicotinamide was observed in the case of dermatophytes (P < 0.005). Its action led to a decrease in the activity of all the enzymes under study except alpha-glucosidase produced by T. rubrum strains. Thus, nicotinamide exhibited biological activity towards C. albicans, T. rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes, which resulted in a decrease in the activity of enzymes produced by the fungi.

3,6-Diamino-10-methylacridan: Uncharged Precursor of Acriflavine and Its Unique Antimicrobial Activity.-As plasma membranes are less permeable to charged compounds the transportation barrier to penetrate inside bacterial cells is high for acriflavine (I), a cationic DNA intercalator with outstanding antibacterial properties. To overcome this problem, its uncharged precursor (II) is used as "Trojan horse". Thermal or photochemical reoxidation of title compound (II) generates quantitatively acriflavine (I) and superoxide radical anion, which synergically inactivate bacteria, e.g. Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, staphylococcus aureus, and fungi, e.g. candida albicans, trychophyton mentagrophytes much faster than acriflavine itself. -(ADAMUS, J.; GEBICKI, J.; CIEBIADA, I.; KORCZAK, E.; DENYS, A.; J. Med. Chem. 41 (1998) 16, 2932-2933; Inst. Appl. Radiat. Chem., Tech. Univ., PL-90-924 Lodz, Pol.; EN)