The inhibitory effect of human serum on the multiplication of Cryptococcus neoformans and the interaction with fluconazole were studied. Compared with cryptococcal multiplication in RPMI 1640 medium alone, 5% human serum in medium inhibited multiplication by 76% ؎ 6% (n ؍ 8). The inhibitory effect of human serum was donor independent heat stable (56؇C, 30 min), and not due to albumin or globulin. Bovine and murine sera were not inhibitory at that concentration. A fungistatic concentration of fluconazole (5.0 g/ml) in medium plus 5% human serum resulted in 40% ؎ 5% (n ؍ 8) killing (reduction of inoculum CFU) in a 24-h assay. Bovine or murine sera did not have the enhancing effect, and this human serum activity was heat stable and donor independent. At 2.5 g of fluconazole per ml, fungistasis by fluconazole plus human serum was significantly greater than with either alone. Higher concentrations in serum potentiated fluconazole more. At higher fluconazole concentrations (e.g., 20 g/ml) fluconazole alone could kill, but serum potentiated this. A fluconazole-resistant isolate (MIC, 100 g/ml) was not killed by fluconazole (5.0 g/ml) in 5% human serum, but human serum potentiated the partial fluconazole inhibition. When human serum was dialyzed (molecular weight cutoff, 6,000 to 8,000) against phosphate-buffered saline, it lost the ability to synergize with fluconazole for killing Cryptococcus organisms but not the capacity to inhibit multiplication. Filtration of serum suggested the filtrate with a molecular weight of <10,000 could interact synergistically with fluconazole for killing but could not inhibit cryptococcal multiplication. These findings indicate that human serum has two components, one (macromolecular) with a unique ability to inhibit C. neoformans and a low-molecular-weight component that enhances fluconazole anticryptococcal activity.In earlier studies we showed that fungistatic concentrations of fluconazole (FCZ) acted synergistically with fungistatic murine macrophages for killing Cryptococcus neoformans (2, 3). In subsequent studies with human macrophages (12), we used human serum in the culture system and noted that FCZ concentrations previously found to be fungistatic were now fungicidal. In the present study, we systematically investigated this phenomenon, in light of prior observations (1, 9, 11) that serum alone is inhibitory to C. neoformans.
MATERIALS AND METHODSC. neoformans. C. neoformans (CDC 9759) was transferred from storage at 4ЊC or room temperature and subcultured twice on blood agar plates (BAP) at 35ЊC before use in experiments. Yeast cells grown on BAP for 48 h at 35ЊC were collected, washed, counted, and suspended in test media. RPMI 1640 containing penicillin (100 U/ml) and streptomycin (100 g/ml) was the basic test medium (referred to as RPMI). Fresh frozen human serum, human serum heated (56ЊC, 30 min) to inactivate complement (referred to as heat-inactivated serum), commercial pooled blood group AB serum (Gibco, Gaithersburg, Md.), fetal bovine serum (FBS), or mouse serum w...