Bioactive Natural Products Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Campus, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil.
Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Campus, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2023 Oct 28;315:116682. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2023.116682. Epub 2023 May 30.
Traditional uses of Annona muricata L. (soursop) include treatment for cancer, fungal infections, and inflammatory diseases. Its phytoconstituents, mainly acetogenins and alkaloids, are associated with therapeutic activity and clinical application is currently under investigation. However, the application of phytotherapy to treat diseases caused by fungal biofilms, such as vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), is still limited.
To investigate the activity of the ethanolic extract of A. muricata leaves (AML) against biofilms formed by multiresistant Candida albicans (ATCC® 10231) both in vitro and in a VVC experimental model.
C. albicans biofilms were grown and their adhesion, proliferation, development, and matrix composition studied by spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), whole slide imaging (WSI), and biochemical assays without or with AML treatment. In parallel, in vivo experiments were conducted using a murine model of infection treated with different concentrations of the extract and nystatin. Fungal burden and histological changes were investigated.
The proliferation and adhesion of C. albicans biofilms were significantly reduced as confirmed by SEM and WSI quantitative analyses. Furthermore, the concentration of carbohydrates, proteins and DNA was reduced in the biofilm matrix. In vivo assays demonstrated that AML was able to reduce the fungal burden and the inflammatory process.
The findings further emphasized the therapeutic and scientific potential of AML, thus encouraging its future use in the treatment of VVC.
安农西亚木果（俗称刺果番荔枝）的传统用途包括治疗癌症、真菌感染和炎症性疾病。其植物化学成分主要为生物活性的醋酸酯和生物碱，与治疗活性相关，目前正在进行临床应用研究。然而，植物疗法在治疗真菌生物膜引起的疾病方面的应用仍然有限，例如外阴阴道念珠菌病（VVC）。
研究安农西亚木果叶乙醇提取物（AML）对多耐药白色念珠菌（ATCC®10231）形成的生物膜的体外和 VVC 实验模型中的活性。
通过分光光度法、扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、全玻片成像（WSI）和生化分析，研究了 C. albicans 生物膜的生长及其黏附、增殖、发育和基质组成，同时进行了 AML 处理或不处理的实验。此外，还使用不同浓度的提取物和制霉菌素治疗的感染小鼠模型进行了体内实验。研究了真菌负荷和组织学变化。
SEM 和 WSI 定量分析证实，C. albicans 生物膜的增殖和黏附明显减少。此外，生物膜基质中的碳水化合物、蛋白质和 DNA 浓度降低。体内实验表明，AML 能够降低真菌负荷和炎症过程。
这些发现进一步强调了 AML 的治疗和科学潜力，从而鼓励其在治疗 VVC 方面的未来应用。
