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Alternative Therapeutic Approaches of Candida Infections, 3rd Edition
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Alternative Therapeutic Approaches of Candida Infections, 3rd Edition

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X). This special issue belongs to the section "Fungal Pathogenesis and Disease Control".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2024 | Viewed by 1887

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Renátó Kovács

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
Interests: biofilms; quorum-sensing; antifungal drugs; clinical mycology; alternative therapies; Candida spp.; fungal–bacterial interaction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Candida infections are considered a serious public health problem worldwide, especially in immunocompromised patient populations. In addition, the morbidity and mortality rate associated with these infections have not improved significantly over the past few years. The prevalence and incidence of infections caused by Candida species resistant to one or more first-line antifungals has been steadily increasing due to the widespread use of antifungal drugs in agriculture and both veterinary and human medicine. Moreover, biofilm production plays a pivotal role in resistance to traditional antifungals, restricting the proper choice of therapy. As the available antifungal agents are decreasing in efficacy, new innovative approaches have to be implemented in the future in order to eradicate these infections. Alternative therapies involve the administration of combination-based therapies, the usage of antifungal peptides and proteins, plant extracts or natural products, therapies disrupting quorum-sensing, and photodynamic therapy.

Dr. Renátó Kovács
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Fungi is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Candida
  • in vitro and in vivo susceptibility
  • therapy
  • biofilms
  • combination
  • antifungals
  • quorum-sensing
  • natural products
  • antifungal peptides and proteins
  • photodynamic therapy
  • resistance
  • synergy
  • Candida auris
  • fluconazole resistant Candida species
  • echinocandin resistance

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1620 KiB  
Article
Potential Activity of Micafungin and Amphotericin B Co-Encapsulated in Nanoemulsion against Systemic Candida auris Infection in a Mice Model
by Gabriel Davi Marena, Gabriela Corrêa Carvalho, Alba Ruiz-Gaitán, Giovana Scaramal Onisto, Beatriz Chiari Manzini Bugalho, Letícia Maria Valente Genezini, Maíra Oliveira Dos Santos, Ana Lígia Blanco, Marlus Chorilli and Tais Maria Bauab
J. Fungi 2024, 10(4), 253; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10040253 - 27 Mar 2024
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Abstract
The Candida auris species is a multidrug-resistant yeast capable of causing systemic and lethal infections. Its virulence and increase in outbreaks are a global concern, especially in hospitals where outbreaks are more recurrent. In many cases, monotherapy is not effective, and drug combinations [...] Read more.
The Candida auris species is a multidrug-resistant yeast capable of causing systemic and lethal infections. Its virulence and increase in outbreaks are a global concern, especially in hospitals where outbreaks are more recurrent. In many cases, monotherapy is not effective, and drug combinations are opted for. However, resistance to antifungals has increased over the years. In view of this, nanoemulsions (NEs) may represent a nanotechnology strategy in the development of new therapeutic alternatives. Therefore, this study developed a co-encapsulated nanoemulsion with amphotericin B (AmB) and micafungin (MICA) (NEMA) for the control of infections caused by C. auris. NEs were developed in previous studies. Briefly, the NEs were composed of a mixture of 10% sunflower oil and cholesterol as the oil phase (5:1), 10% Polyoxyethylene (20) cetyl ether (Brij® 58) and soy phosphatidylcholine as surfactant/co-surfactant (2:1), and 80% PBS as the aqueous phase. The in vivo assay used BALB/c mice weighing between 25 and 28 g that were immunosuppressed (CEUA/FCF/CAr n° 29/2021) and infected with Candida auris CDC B11903. The in vivo results show the surprising potentiate of the antifungal activity of the co-encapsulated drugs in NE, preventing yeast from causing infection in the lung and thymus. Biochemical assays showed a higher concentration of liver and kidney enzymes under treatment with AmB and MICAmB. In conclusion, this combination of drugs to combat the infection caused by C. auris can be considered an efficient therapeutic option, and nanoemulsions contribute to therapeutic potentiate, proving to be a promising new alternative. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Alternative Therapeutic Approaches of Candida Infections, 3rd Edition)
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14 pages, 2974 KiB  
Article
Therapeutic Use of the Antimicrobial Peptide PNR20 to Resolve Disseminated Candidiasis in a Murine Model
by Jeisson Micelly-Moreno, Adriana Barreto-Santamaría, Gabriela Arévalo-Pinzón, Carolina Firacative, Beatriz L. Gómez, Patricia Escandón, Manuel A. Patarroyo and Julián E. Muñoz
J. Fungi 2023, 9(12), 1149; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9121149 - 28 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1026
Abstract
Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) caused by Candida species are an emerging threat globally, given that patients at-risk and antifungal resistance are increasing. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have shown good therapeutic capacity against different multidrug-resistant (MDR) microorganisms. This study evaluated the activity of the synthetic [...] Read more.
Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) caused by Candida species are an emerging threat globally, given that patients at-risk and antifungal resistance are increasing. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have shown good therapeutic capacity against different multidrug-resistant (MDR) microorganisms. This study evaluated the activity of the synthetic peptide, PNR20, against Candida albicans ATCC 10231 and a MDR Colombian clinical isolate of Candida auris. Perturbation of yeast cell surface was evaluated using scanning electron microscopy. Cell viability of Vero cells was determined to assess peptide toxicity. Additionally, survival, fungal burden, and histopathology of BALB/c mice infected intravenously with each Candida species and treated with PNR20 were analyzed. Morphological alterations were identified in both species, demonstrating the antifungal effect of PNR20. In vitro, Vero cells’ viability was not affected by PNR20. All mice infected with either C. albicans or C. auris and treated with PNR20 survived and had a significant reduction in the fungal burden in the kidney compared to the control group. The histopathological analysis in mice infected and treated with PNR20 showed more preserved tissues, without the presence of yeast, compared to the control groups. This work shows that the utilization of PNR20 is a promising therapeutic alternative against disseminated candidiasis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Alternative Therapeutic Approaches of Candida Infections, 3rd Edition)
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