Conventional and alternative antifungal therapies to oral candidiasis

Candida-associated denture stomatitis is the most common form of oral candidal infection, with Candida albicans being the principal etiological agent. Candida adheres directly or via an intermediary layer of plaque-forming bacteria to denture acrylic. Despite antifungal therapy to treat denture stomatitis, infection is reestablished soon after the treatment ceases. In addition, many predisposing factors have been identified as important in the development of oral candidiasis, including malnourishment, common endocrine disorders, such as diabetis mellitus, antibacterial drug therapy, corticosteroids, radiotherapy and other immunocompromised conditions, such as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). These often results in increased tolerance to the most commonly used antifungals. So this review suggests new therapies to oral candidiasis.82483

Atividade anti fúngica do α-terpinen sobre Candida albicans

Objetivo: avaliar a atividade antifúngica do α- terpinen sobre culturas planctonicas e biofi lme de Candida albicans. Material e Métodos: Primeiramente, foi determinada a Concentração Inibitória Mínima (CIM) e a Concentração Fungicida Mínima (CFM) do α-terpinen sobre microrganismos planctônicos. A Nistatina foi utilizada como controle positivo. Biofi lme de Candida albicans foi desenvolvido e, após o tratamento com diferentes concentrações de α-terpinen, foi quantifi cado em UFC/mL, além da atividade metabólica das células ser avaliada por XTT. Resultados: a menor concentração capaz de inibir o crescimento (CIM) foi 0,2 % para o α-terpinen e 4 μg/mL para a Nistatina. Na CIM, os resultados mostraram que a partir da concentração 0,05 % de α-terpinen e 2 μg/mL de Nistatina houve diminuição de C.albicans quando comparado ao controle. A CFM foi para α-terpinen 0,2 % e Nistatina 8 μg/mL. Na quantifi cação as concentrações efi cazes foram de α-terpinen (0,1%) e Nistatina (128μg/mL), e no teste do XTT, observou-se que α –terpinen (0,1%) e Nistatina (256μg/mL) diminuem a viabilidade quando comparado com o controle. Conclusão: Assim, pode-se afi rmar que α-terpineol pode ser uma alternativa para tratamento de infecções fúngicas

A new Kunitz trypsin inhibitor from Erythrina poeppigiana exhibits antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties against bacteria

Erythrina poeppigiana belongs to Fabaceae family (subfamily Papillionoideae) and is commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions in Brazil. Herein, we described the purification and characterization of a new Kunitz-type inhibitor, obtained from E. poeppigiana seeds (EpTI). EpTI is composed by three isoforms of identical aminoterminal sequences with a molecular weight ranging from 17 to 20 kDa. The physicochemical features showed by EpTI are common to Kunitz inhibitors, including the dissociation constant (13.1 nM), stability against thermal (37–100 ◦C) and pH (2–10) ranging, and the presence of disulfide bonds stabilizing its reactive site. Furthermore, we investigated the antimicrobial, anti-adhesion, and anti-biofilm properties of EpTI against Grampositive and negative bacteria. The inhibitor showed antimicrobial activity with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC, 5–10 μM) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of 10 μM for Enterobacter aerogenes, Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus haemolyticus. The combination of EpTI with ciprofloxacin showed a marked synergistic effect, reducing the antibiotic concentration by 150%. The increase in crystal violet uptake for S. aureus and K. pneumoniae strains was approximately 30% and 50%, respectively, suggesting that the bacteria plasma membrane is targeted by EpTI. Treatment with EpTI at 1x and 10 x MIC significantly reduced the biofilm formation and prompted the disruption of a mature biofilm. At MIC/2, EpTI decreased the bacterial adhesion to polystyrene surface within 2 h. Finally, EpTI showed low toxicity in animal model Galleria mellonella. Given its antimicrobial and anti-biofilm properties, the EpTI sequence might be used to design novel drug prototypes

An Intracellular Arrangement of Histoplasma capsulatum Yeast-Aggregates Generates Nuclear Damage to the Cultured Murine Alveolar Macrophages

Histoplasma capsulatum is responsible for a human systemic mycosis that primarily affects lung tissue. Macrophages are the major effector cells in humans that respond to the fungus, and the development of respiratory disease depends on the ability of Histoplasma yeast cells to survive and replicate within alveolar macrophages. Therefore, the interaction between macrophages and H. capsulatum is a decisive step in the yeast dissemination into host tissues. Although the role played by components of cell-mediated immunity in the host's defense system and the mechanisms used by the pathogen to evade the host immune response are well understood, knowledge regarding the effects induced by H. capsulatum in host cells at the nuclear level is limited. According to the present findings, H. capsulatum yeast cells display a unique architectural arrangement during the intracellular infection of cultured murine alveolar macrophages, characterized as a formation of aggregates that seem to surround the host cell nucleus, resembling a crown. This extranuclear organization of yeast-aggregates generates damage on the nucleus of the host cell, producing DNA fragmentation and inducing apoptosis, even though the yeast cells are not located inside the nucleus and do not trigger changes in nuclear proteins. The current study highlights a singular intracellular arrangement of H. capsulatum yeast near to the nucleus of infected murine alveolar macrophages that may contribute to the yeast’s persistence under intracellular conditions, since this fungal pathogen may display different strategies to prevent elimination by the host's phagocytic mechanisms

A mini review of Candida species in hospital infection: epidemiology, virulence factor and drugs resistance and prophylaxis

The introduction of more efficient diagnostic methods, new techniques in surgery and transplantation, antibiotics and chemotherapeutics more potent and novel materials for prostheses, catheters and probes significantly increased the life expectancy and quality of life of critically ill patients, on the other hand, hospital-acquired infections emerged as important iatrogenic complications. Invasive infections are a growing problem in public health hospitals in Brazil and worldwide. Among the various etiological agents found in the hospital environment, the genus Candida has been the third most frequently isolated pathogen. In general, invasive fungal infections are associated with high morbidity and mortality, difficulties in diagnosis, antimicrobial resistance, length of hospital stay and increased hospital costs. This mini review of the literature describes about epidemiology of hospital infection of Candida species, as well as its virulence factors and drugs resistanc

Clinical And Laboratory Evaluations Of Non-surgical Periodontal Treatment In Subjects With Diabetes Mellitus.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and laboratory changes 3 months after full-mouth scaling and root planing in subjects with and without diabetes mellitus. This study was performed using 10 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus who required insulin therapy (DM) and 10 healthy adult control subjects (NDM) with generalized chronic periodontal disease. Both groups were treated with full-mouth scaling and root planing and given oral hygiene instructions. Clinical parameters, including plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), probing depth (PD), gingival recession (GR), and clinical attachment level (CAL), were measured at four sites per tooth. Subgingival plaque samples were obtained from sites with the deepest PD (> or =5 mm) and with furcations in each subject. Samples were also tested for the presence of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (previously Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans), Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Tannerella forsythia (previously T. forsythensis) by polymerase chain reaction. Glycemic control (glycosylated hemoglobin [HbA1c] and fasting glucose levels) and clinical and microbiologic assessments were recorded at baseline and 3 months after periodontal treatment. Data revealed statistical changes (P < or =0.05; analysis of variance [ANOVA]) in clinical variables (PI, GI, PD, GR, and CAL) between baseline and 3 months in both groups. Conversely, no improvement in the fasting glucose level or glycosylated hemoglobin (P < or =0.05; ANOVA) was found after treatment. Besides some reduction in the bacterial frequency 3 months after treatment, no statistically significant difference was found between the groups. Clinical and laboratory responses were similar in DM and NDM groups 3 months after full-mouth scaling and root planing.791150-

The Use of Essential Oils and Their Isolated Compounds for the Treatment of Oral Candidiasis: A Literature Review

In this literature review, we present the main scientific findings on the antifungal activity of essential oils (EOs) applicable for a new drug formulation to treat oral candidiasis. Seven literature databases were systematically searched for eligible in vitro and clinical trials. Selected articles were screened for biological activity, botanical species, phytochemical composition, study design, and methodological quality. A total of 26 articles were included in the review, of which 21 were in vitro studies and 5 clinical trials. The most promising EOs were obtained from Allium tubeorosum, Cinnamomum cassia, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, and Coriandrum sativum L. Among the phytochemicals, citral and thymol were the most active. Clinical trials indicated that the EOs from Pelargonium graveolens and Zataria multiflora are potentially effective to treat oral candidiasis. Further nonclinical and clinical studies with these EO are warranted to determine their potential use and safety for the treatment of oral candidiasis

Virulence of Cryptococcus spp. biofilms in vitro and in vivo using Galleria mellonella as an alternative model.

Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii are fungal pathogens that are most commonly found in infections of the central nervous system, which cause life-threatening meningoencephalitis and can grow as a biofilm. Biofilms are structures conferring protection and resistance of microorganism to the antifungal drugs. This study compared the virulence of planktonic and biofilm cells of C. neoformans and C. gattii in Galleria mellonella model, as well as, the quantification of gene transcripts LAC1, URE1 and CAP59 by real time PCR. All three of the genes showed significantly increased expressions in the biofilm conditions for two species of Cryptococcus, when compared to planktonic cells. C. neoformans and C. gattii cells in the biofilm forms were more virulent than the planktonic cells in G. mellonella. This suggests that the biofilm conditions may contribute to the virulence profile. Our results contribute to a better understanding of the agents of cryptococcosis in the host-yeast aspects of the interaction