Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Health, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Konstantynów 1i, 20-708, Lublin, Poland.
Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences, The Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation, State Research Institute, Czartoryskich 8, 24-100, Pulawy, Poland.
Fungal Biol. 2022 Jun-Jul;126(6-7):407-420. doi: 10.1016/j.funbio.2022.05.002. Epub 2022 May 8.
Flavonoids are a diverse group of compounds originating from several natural plant sources. Various biological effects of flavonoids have been reported, including antimicrobial and antifungal activities. In this study, we showed the possibility of using commercial flavonoids, i.e. baicalein and quercetin, based on natural equivalents as compounds with antifungal properties against Candida albicans species. The effects of baicalein and/or quercetin were investigated using reference C. albicans strain and 50 clinical strains isolated from vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) patients. Baicalein and quercetin MIC values against C. albicans strains ranged between 0.5 and 256 μg/ml. We observed predominantly indifferent, synergistic, or partially synergistic interactions between both flavonoids and between the flavonoids and fluconazole in the treatment of planktonic cells of the C. albicans strains. Treatment with the flavonoid complex inhibited adhesion and aggregation of cells, cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH), flocculation, biofilm formation and reduced hyphal growth. Real-time RT-PCR revealed that baicalein and quercetin in combination down-regulated the expression of biofilm-specific genes. Finally, we observed increase in the cell membrane permeability of C. albicans and its physical destruction as a result of the synergistic activity of baicalein and quercetin. Our research evidences the effectiveness of baicalein and quercetin applied in combination as potential anti-Candida agents.
类黄酮是一类源自多种天然植物来源的化合物。已经报道了类黄酮的各种生物效应，包括抗菌和抗真菌活性。在这项研究中，我们展示了使用商业类黄酮（即黄芩素和槲皮素）的可能性，这些类黄酮基于天然等效物作为具有抗白色念珠菌属物种的抗真菌特性的化合物。使用参考白色念珠菌菌株和从外阴阴道念珠菌病（VVC）患者中分离的 50 株临床菌株研究了黄芩素和/或槲皮素的作用。黄芩素和槲皮素对白色念珠菌菌株的 MIC 值在 0.5 至 256μg/ml 之间。我们观察到两种黄酮类化合物之间以及黄酮类化合物与氟康唑之间的治疗浮游细胞时，主要表现为无差异、协同或部分协同相互作用。用黄酮类化合物复合物处理可抑制细胞的粘附和聚集、细胞表面疏水性（CSH）、絮凝、生物膜形成和丝状生长减少。实时 RT-PCR 显示，黄芩素和槲皮素联合下调了生物膜特异性基因的表达。最后，我们观察到由于黄芩素和槲皮素的协同作用，白色念珠菌的细胞膜通透性增加和物理破坏。我们的研究证明了黄芩素和槲皮素联合应用作为潜在抗念珠菌药物的有效性。
