Antifungal activity of extracts and purified saponins from the rhizomes of Chamaecostus cuspidatus against Candida and Trichophyton species

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the antifungal activity of extracts of Chamaecostus cuspidatus against Candida and Trichophyton species. Methods and Results: Crude ethanol extracts of leaves, stems and rhizomes were prepared and evaluated for antimicrobial activity. Only the rhizomes extract (RE) showed antifungal activity but had no inhibitory effect against bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli). The RE was then submitted to liquid-liquid partition with hexane (Hex), dichloromethane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and water. The Hex fraction (Hex Fr) from the RE was found to have the best antifungal effect. Three known saponins were isolated from the Hex Fr, of which two (dioscin and aferoside A) showed good antifungal activity. In addition, Hex Fr and the two bioactive compounds had no antibacterial effect, but exhibited fungicidal activity, caused significant changes in the morphology of the fungal cells and showed anti-Candida albicans biofilm activity. Finally, the bioactive plant products presented greater selectivity for fungal cells over normal human cells. Conclusions: The rhizomes of C. cuspidatus have bioactive saponins that function as effective antifungals against Candida and Trichophyton species, and have antibiofilm activity against C. albicans. Significance and Impact of the Study: Chamaecostus cuspidatus REs may have potential clinical application towards the management of superficial mycoses caused by Candida and Trichophyton species.

Plant Preparations and Compounds with Activities against Biofilms Formed by Candida spp.

“…According to the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST), the antifungal clinical breakpoints are between 0.001 mg/L and 16 mg/L [ 60 ]. Using EUCAST guidelines in this review, the most active compounds that inhibit (>50%) Candida biofilm formation are lichochalcone A (from 0.2 mg/L) [ 61 ], thymol (from 3.12 mg/L) [ 26 ], dioscin (from 3.9 mg/L) [ 31 ], baicalein (from 4 mg/L) [ 62 ], warburganal (4.5 mg/L) [ 52 ], pterostilbene, waltheriones and riccardin D (both from 8 mg/L) [ 63 , 64 , 65 ], polygodial (10.8 mg/L) [ 52 ], cannabidiol and eugenol (both from 12.5 mg/L) [ 58 , 66 ], and ivalin (15.4 mg/L) [ 67 ]. It is interesting that monotherpenes, which represent the highest percentage of substances listed in Table 2 , are not the most active compounds.…”

In Silico Screening and In Vitro Assessment of Natural Products with Anti-Virulence Activity against Helicobacter pylori

“…Despite numerous studies on the anti-inflammatory [ 35 , 36 , 37 ] and antitumor [ 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ] activity of dioscin or diosgenin (an aglycone form of dioscin), the data on their antimicrobial action are very scarce. Among the few articles available, three concerning fungi [ 42 , 43 , 44 ] and one indicating activity against anaerobic bacteria [ 45 ] could be found. For this reason, we believe that the results obtained by our team bring the aspect of novelty in the context of using dioscin in anti-bacterial therapy.…”

Origanum vulgare L. essential oil inhibits virulence patterns of Candida spp. and potentiates the effects of fluconazole and nystatin in vitro

“…Viability was quantified using the MTT (Life Technologies) reduction assay, essentially as described by Barros Cota et al, 2021 [ 25 ]. For the planktonic cultures, 100 μL of a standardized suspension (1 × 10 6 cells/mL) was added to each well on a 96-well polystyrene plate in RPMI-1640 medium and incubated for 24 h at 28 °C in the presence or absence of each treatment at the same concentrations used for MIC determination.…”