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Alternative Therapeutic Approaches of Candida Infections 2.0
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Alternative Therapeutic Approaches of Candida Infections 2.0

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: closed (1 October 2022) | Viewed by 6674

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 Colleague,

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 (3 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1860 KiB  
Article
A New Approach for the Treatment of Recurrent Vulvovaginal Candidiasis with a Combination of Pea Protein, Grape Seed Extract, and Lactic Acid Assessed In Vivo
by Irene Paterniti, Giovanna Casili, Alessia Filippone, Marika Lanza, Alessio Ardizzone, Anna Paola Capra, Michela Campolo and Emanuela Esposito
J. Fungi 2022, 8(12), 1251; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8121251 - 27 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2257
Abstract
Background: Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is considered the second most common vaginal infection. Up to 8% of women in various populations experience more than three or four episodes within one year, which is regarded as recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC). Current therapies involve antifungal drugs [...] Read more.
Background: Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is considered the second most common vaginal infection. Up to 8% of women in various populations experience more than three or four episodes within one year, which is regarded as recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC). Current therapies involve antifungal drugs that provide static effects but do not prevent recurrences due to increased antimicrobial resistance; thus, alternative therapies to antifungals are needed to prevent RVVC. Methods: A murine model of Candida albicans-induced RVVC was performed to evaluate the efficacy of a topical product containing pea protein (PP), grape seed extract (GS), and lactic acid (LA) to treat recurrent infections. Mice were inoculated with three separate vulvovaginal infections of 5 × 104 cells/mL C. albicans, and histological evaluation, a myeloperoxidase (MPO) assay. and an ELISA kit for Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) on vaginal tissues were performed. Results: The data obtained highlighted that the combination of PP, GS, and LA significantly preserved vaginal tissue architecture and prevented vaginal inflammation, proving its efficacy for the management of RVVC. Moreover, the combination of PP, GS, and LA notably increased azole efficacy by adding a new mechanism of action when administered concomitantly. Conclusion: Taken together, results demonstrated that the treatment with a combination of PP, GS, and LA is able to reduce the adhesion of C. albicans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Alternative Therapeutic Approaches of Candida Infections 2.0)
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20 pages, 3310 KiB  
Article
Elicitor-Induced Metabolomics Analysis of Halodule pinifolia Suspension Culture for an Alternative Antifungal Screening Approach against Candida albicans
by Mousa A. Alghuthaymi, Jeyapragash Danaraj, Fawziah M. Albarakaty, Rajiv Periakaruppan, Manigandan Vajravelu, Saravanakumar Ayyappan, Kumaralingam Selvaraj and Kamel A. Abd-Elsalam
J. Fungi 2022, 8(6), 609; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8060609 - 07 Jun 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1882
Abstract
Elicitors are the agents that stimulate the defense responses of plants, and accumulate specialized metabolites in plant tissue culture. This study investigated the elicitor-feeding response of H. pinifolia suspension cell cultures (SCC) for metabolomics analysis and screening of specialized compounds against Candida albicans [...] Read more.
Elicitors are the agents that stimulate the defense responses of plants, and accumulate specialized metabolites in plant tissue culture. This study investigated the elicitor-feeding response of H. pinifolia suspension cell cultures (SCC) for metabolomics analysis and screening of specialized compounds against Candida albicans. Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) was used as an elicitor, and treatment of SCC at a concentration of 20 µM MeJA resulted in the maximum rosmarinic acid (RA) accumulation (117 mg/g dry weight), with transcript levels of RA biosynthetic genes HpPAL, HpC4H, and Hp4CL being 4.2, 2.5, and 3.7-fold higher, respectively, than the controls. GC-MS-based metabolomics analysis revealed a total of 47 metabolites, including 30 organic acids, six amino acids, six flavonoids, two sugars, two plant growth regulators, and one vitamin, which were significantly different between control and MeJA-treated cells. Furthermore, five phenolic acids were discovered at higher concentrations, including p-anisic acid, p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, vanillic acid, and rosmarinic acid, and were purified and structurally elucidated for alternative antifungal screening against C. albicans and the evaluation of ADMET properties. The results from antifungal screening revealed that RA at MIC of 31.25 mg/L exhibited the lowest growth percentage of C. albicans (1.99%), with higher inhibition of isocitrate lyase 1 (ICL 1) enzyme (93.1%), followed by p-anisic acid (86.2%) and caffeic acid (85.1%), respectively. The drug likeliness and ADMET properties of RA exhibited promising results, with a bioactivity score of 0.57, 0.15, and 0.24 for nuclear receptor ligand, protease inhibitor, and enzyme inhibitor, respectively. Therefore, MeJA appears to have a significant effect on enhanced RA accumulation in H. pinifoia cells with phenylpropanoid transcript expression, and acts as an ICL1 inhibitor of C. albicans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Alternative Therapeutic Approaches of Candida Infections 2.0)
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24 pages, 6554 KiB  
Article
Promising Antifungal Activity of Encephalartos laurentianus de Wild against Candida albicans Clinical Isolates: In Vitro and In Vivo Effects on Renal Cortex of Adult Albino Rats
by Walaa A. Negm, Mona El-Aasr, Ghada Attia, Moneerah J. Alqahtani, Rania Ibrahim Yassien, Amal Abo Kamer and Engy Elekhnawy
J. Fungi 2022, 8(5), 426; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof8050426 - 21 Apr 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 1999
Abstract
Candida albicans can cause various infections, especially in immunocompromised patients. Its ability to develop resistance to the current antifungal drugs as well as its multiple virulence factors have rendered the problem even more complicated. Thus, in the present investigation, we elucidated an in [...] Read more.
Candida albicans can cause various infections, especially in immunocompromised patients. Its ability to develop resistance to the current antifungal drugs as well as its multiple virulence factors have rendered the problem even more complicated. Thus, in the present investigation, we elucidated an in vitro and in vivo antifungal activity of Encephalartos laurentianus methanol extract (ELME) against C. albicans clinical isolates for the first time. A phytochemical identification of 64 compounds was conducted in ELME using LC-MS/MS. Interestingly, ELME exhibited antifungal activity with MIC values that ranged from 32–256 µg/mL. Furthermore, we investigated the antibiofilm activity of ELME against the biofilms formed by C. albicans isolates. ELME displayed antibiofilm activity using a crystal violet assay as it decreased the percentages of cells, moderately and strongly forming biofilms from 62.5% to 25%. Moreover, the antibiofilm impact of ELME was elucidated using SEM and fluorescent microscope. A significant reduction in the biofilm formation by C. albicans isolates was observed. In addition, we observed that ELME resulted in the downregulation of the biofilm-related tested genes (ALS1, BCR1, PLB2, and SAP5) in 37.5% of the isolates using qRT-PCR. Besides, the in vivo antifungal activity of ELME on the kidney tissues of rats infected with C. albicans was investigated using histological and immunohistochemical studies. ELME was found to protect against C. albicans induced renal damage, decrease desmin and inducible nitric oxide synthase, increase alkaline phosphatase, and increase infected rats’ survival rate. Additionally, the cytotoxicity of ELME was elucidated on Human Skin Fibroblast normal cells using MTT assay. ELME had an IC50 of 31.26 µg/mL. Thus, we can conclude that ELME might be a promising future source for antifungal compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Alternative Therapeutic Approaches of Candida Infections 2.0)
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