A Cyclam Salt as an Antifungal Agent: Interference with spp. and Mechanisms of Virulence.

The importance of fungal infections, particularly those caused by yeasts, is increasing among the medical community. and are amongst the high-priority fungal species identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) and are considered in the critical group, while is included in the medium-priority group. The cyclam salt H[H(PhCH)Cyclam]Cl proved to be active against the growth of these three yeasts, and the aim of this work was to verify its interference with their virulence mechanisms, whether shared or unique. H[H(PhCH)Cyclam]Cl significantly inhibited biofilm production and catalase activity, being able to interfere with dimorphic transition and melanin production. At the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values, H[H(PhCH)Cyclam]Cl had no antioxidant effect, as determined by the DPPH method. When using the RAW264.7 macrophage cell line, H[H(PhCH)Cyclam]Cl reduced nitric oxide (NO) detection (the Griess reaction), but this effect was associated with a significant toxic effect on the cells.