Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology of Paraíba (IFPB), 58780-000 Itaporanga, PB, Brazil ; Mycology Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Paraíba, 58051-970 João Pessoa, PB, Brazil.
Mycology Laboratory, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Paraíba, 58051-970 João Pessoa, PB, Brazil.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:378280. doi: 10.1155/2014/378280. Epub 2014 Aug 28.
Candida albicans is a yeast that commensally inhabits the human body and can cause opportunistic or pathogenic infections. Objective. To investigate the antifungal activity of citral against C. albicans. Methodology. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) were determined by the broth microdilution techniques. We also investigated possible citral action on cell walls (0.8 M sorbitol), cell membranes (citral to ergosterol binding), the time-kill curve, and biological activity on the yeast's morphology. Results. The MIC and MFC of citral were, respectively, 64 µg/mL and 256 µg/mL. Involvement with the cell wall and ergosterol binding were excluded as possible mechanisms of action. In the morphological interference assay, it was observed that the product inhibited pseudohyphae and chlamydoconidia formation. The MIC and the MFC of citral required only 4 hours of exposure to effectively kill 99.9% of the inoculum. Conclusion. Citral showed in vitro antifungal potential against strains of C. albicans. Citral's mechanism of action does not involve the cell wall or ergosterol, and further study is needed to completely describe its effects before being used in the future as a component of new antifungals.
白色念珠菌是一种寄生于人体的酵母，可引起机会性或致病性感染。目的。研究柠檬醛对白色念珠菌的抗真菌活性。方法。采用肉汤微量稀释法测定最小抑菌浓度（MIC）和最小杀菌浓度（MFC）。我们还研究了柠檬醛对细胞壁（0.8M 山梨糖醇）、细胞膜（柠檬醛与麦角固醇结合）、时间杀伤曲线和酵母形态的生物学活性的可能作用。结果。柠檬醛的 MIC 和 MFC 分别为 64µg/mL 和 256µg/mL。细胞壁和麦角固醇结合的参与被排除为可能的作用机制。在形态干扰试验中，观察到该产物抑制假菌丝和厚垣孢子的形成。MIC 和 MFC 的柠檬醛仅需暴露 4 小时即可有效杀死 99.9%的接种物。结论。柠檬醛在体外对白色念珠菌菌株表现出抗真菌潜力。柠檬醛的作用机制不涉及细胞壁或麦角固醇，需要进一步研究以在未来作为新型抗真菌药物的成分使用之前全面描述其作用。
