Antifungal Effects of Saponin Extract from Rhizomes of Dioscorea panthaica Prain et Burk against Candida albicans

Abstract

Candida albicans is the most common fungal pathogen causing serious diseases, while there are only a paucity of antifungal drugs. Therefore, the present study was performed to investigate the antifungal effects of saponin extract from rhizomes of Dioscorea panthaica Prain et Burk (Huangshanyao Saponin extract, HSE) against C. albicans. HSE inhibits the planktonic growth and biofilm formation and development of C. albicans. 16–64 μg/mL of HSE could inhibit adhesion to polystyrene surfaces, transition from yeast to filamentous growth, and production of secreted phospholipase and could also induce endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and disrupt cell membrane in planktonic cells. Inhibitory activities against extracellular exopolysaccharide (EPS) production and ROS production in preformed biofilms could be inhibited by 64–256 μg/mL of HSE. Cytotoxicity against human Chang's liver cells is low, with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of about 256 μg/mL. In sum, our study suggested that HSE might be used as a potential antifungal therapeutic against C. albicans.

Lycorine Hydrochloride Inhibits the Virulence Traits ofCandida albicans

“…The inhibition on biofilm formation could also be confirmed by CLSI images. The inhibition on preformed biofilms was weaker than that on biofilm formation, which can also be seen with many other antifungal agents [21, 24, 26]. This may be due to the condensed networks of intertwined hyphae and the existence of extracellular matrix, which compromise the access of drugs into cells within biofilms.…”

“…The imperfect pharmacological properties of current antifungal drugs, along with resistance, make it a necessary and pressing mission to develop new antifungal agents, especially those effective against C. albicans biofilms, which are notorious in clinic context for its resistance and recalcitrance, and cause a heavy burden on patients with catheters [27]. Natural products, especially those from traditional medicinal herbs, represent a potential reservoir for mining antifungal agents [26–28]. LH, separated from the traditional Chinese herb Lycoris radiata which has been used for hundreds of years, has been reported to have antitumor activity against multiple kinds of cancer cell lines [12, 14–16, 29].…”

“…The MICs of LH against C. albicans SC5314 and ATCC 10231 were both 64 μ M, which was much lower than that of lycorine against C. albicans (about 200 μ M) and C. dublinensis (about 100 μ M) [17, 18]. The fungistatic effect of LH could be inferred from high MFC/MIC ratio (above 4), as well as nonreduction curves in the time-kill assays where a reduction of more than 3 log 10 (CFU/mL) relative to initial inoculum was considered as fungicidal activity [24, 26]. Therefore, LH did exert a fungistatic effect.…”

“…MTT assays performed on HUVEC and Chang's liver cells were used to assess the cytotoxicity of LH, as previously described elsewhere [26].…”

Antifungal and Antivirulence Activities of Hydroalcoholic Extract and Fractions of Platonia insignis Leaves against Vaginal Isolates of Candida Species

“…The treatment of fungal infections has become challenging because of the rapid development of antifungal resistance due to the over-prescription of medications and prophylactic treatments. Adverse effects presented by antifungals, such as cytotoxicity, gastrointestinal disorders, and hepatotoxicity, contribute to the phenomenon [8,9]. Therefore, it is necessary to develop new antifungal agents against Candida spp.…”