School of Science, RMIT University, PO Box 71, Bundoora, 3083, Australia.
School of Science, Al Zintan University, Al Zintan, Libya.
Sci Rep. 2020 Feb 27;10(1):3615. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-60178-0.
Vulvovaginal candidiasis causes sufferers much discomfort. Phytotherapy with garlic has been reported to be a possible alternative form of treatment; however, it is unknown why patients report varying success with this strategy. Fresh garlic extract has been shown to down-regulate the putative virulence gene, SIR2 in C. albicans. Our study aimed to see if previous observations were reproducible for the gene responsible for Candidalysin (ECE1). Two clinical strains from patients with reported variable efficacy of using garlic for the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis were compared through biofilm assays and antimicrobial susceptibility. Real-time PCR was used to assess changes in gene expression when exposed to garlic. Treatment with fresh garlic extract and pure allicin (an active compound produced in cut garlic) resulted in a decrease in SIR2 expression in all strains. In contrast, ECE1 expression was up-regulated in a reference strain and an isolate from a patient unresponsive to garlic therapy, while in an isolate from a patient responsive to garlic therapy, down-regulation of ECE1 occurred. Future studies that investigate the effectiveness of phytotherapies should take into account possible varying responses of individual strains and that gene expression may be amplified in the presence of serum.
外阴阴道假丝酵母菌病会给患者带来很大的不适。据报道，大蒜植物疗法可能是一种替代治疗方法；然而，目前尚不清楚为什么患者在使用这种策略时报告的成功率不同。已表明新鲜大蒜提取物可下调白色念珠菌中的假定毒力基因 SIR2。我们的研究旨在观察以前的观察结果是否可重复用于负责念珠菌溶解素（ECE1）的基因。通过生物膜测定法和抗菌药物敏感性比较了来自报告使用大蒜治疗外阴阴道假丝酵母菌病疗效不同的患者的两种临床菌株。实时 PCR 用于评估暴露于大蒜时基因表达的变化。新鲜大蒜提取物和纯大蒜素（在切开的大蒜中产生的一种活性化合物）的治疗导致所有菌株中 SIR2 表达下调。相比之下，参考菌株和对大蒜治疗无反应的患者分离株中 ECE1 的表达上调，而对大蒜治疗有反应的患者分离株中 ECE1 的表达下调。未来研究植物疗法的有效性时，应考虑到个别菌株可能存在不同的反应，并且在存在血清的情况下，基因表达可能会被放大。
