Photofungizides Based on Curcumin and Derivates Thereof against <i>Candida albicans</i> and <i>Aspergillus niger</i>

Fungal infections in humans, contamination of food and structural damage to buildings by fungi are associated with high costs for the general public. In addition, the increase in antifungal resistance towards conventional treatment raises the demand for new fungicidal methods. Here, we present the a...

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Main Authors: Barbara Schamberger, Kristjan Plaetzer
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-10-01
Series:Antibiotics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/10/11/1315
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author Barbara Schamberger
Kristjan Plaetzer
author_facet Barbara Schamberger
Kristjan Plaetzer
author_sort Barbara Schamberger
collection DOAJ
description Fungal infections in humans, contamination of food and structural damage to buildings by fungi are associated with high costs for the general public. In addition, the increase in antifungal resistance towards conventional treatment raises the demand for new fungicidal methods. Here, we present the antifungal use of Photodynamic Inactivation (PDI) based on the natural photosensitizer curcumin and a water-soluble positively charged derivative thereof (SA-CUR 12a) against two different model organisms; <i>Candida albicans</i> grown in a liquid culture and photo treated with a 435 nm LED light followed by counting of the colony-forming units and photoinactivation of tissue-like hyphal spheres of <i>Aspergillus niger</i> (diameter ~5 mm) with subsequent monitoring of colony growth. Curcumin (50 µM, no incubation period, i.p.) supplemented with 10% or 0.5% DMSO as well as SA-CUR 12a (50 µM no i.p or 5 min i.p.) triggered a photoantifungal effect of >4 log units towards <i>C. albicans</i>. At 100 µM, SA-CUR 12a (0 min or 5 min i.p.) achieved a reduction of >6 log units. Colonies of <i>A. niger</i> shrunk significantly during PDI treatment. Photoinactivation with 50 µM or 100 µM curcumin (+0.5% DMSO) resulted in complete growth inhibition. PDI using 20, 50 or 100 µM SA-CUR 12a (with or without 10% DMSO) also showed a significant reduction in colony area compared to the control after 48 h, although less pronounced compared to curcumin. In summary, PDI using curcumin or SA-CUR 12a against <i>C. albicans</i> or <i>A. niger</i> is a promising alternative to currently used fungicides, with the advantage of being very unlikely to induce resistance.
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spelling doaj.art-117cd405efd043c9bc4f1883015d356d2023-11-22T22:09:47ZengMDPI AGAntibiotics2079-63822021-10-011011131510.3390/antibiotics10111315Photofungizides Based on Curcumin and Derivates Thereof against <i>Candida albicans</i> and <i>Aspergillus niger</i>Barbara Schamberger0Kristjan Plaetzer1Laboratory of Photodynamic Inactivation of Microorganisms, Department of Biosciences, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, AustriaLaboratory of Photodynamic Inactivation of Microorganisms, Department of Biosciences, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, AustriaFungal infections in humans, contamination of food and structural damage to buildings by fungi are associated with high costs for the general public. In addition, the increase in antifungal resistance towards conventional treatment raises the demand for new fungicidal methods. Here, we present the antifungal use of Photodynamic Inactivation (PDI) based on the natural photosensitizer curcumin and a water-soluble positively charged derivative thereof (SA-CUR 12a) against two different model organisms; <i>Candida albicans</i> grown in a liquid culture and photo treated with a 435 nm LED light followed by counting of the colony-forming units and photoinactivation of tissue-like hyphal spheres of <i>Aspergillus niger</i> (diameter ~5 mm) with subsequent monitoring of colony growth. Curcumin (50 µM, no incubation period, i.p.) supplemented with 10% or 0.5% DMSO as well as SA-CUR 12a (50 µM no i.p or 5 min i.p.) triggered a photoantifungal effect of >4 log units towards <i>C. albicans</i>. At 100 µM, SA-CUR 12a (0 min or 5 min i.p.) achieved a reduction of >6 log units. Colonies of <i>A. niger</i> shrunk significantly during PDI treatment. Photoinactivation with 50 µM or 100 µM curcumin (+0.5% DMSO) resulted in complete growth inhibition. PDI using 20, 50 or 100 µM SA-CUR 12a (with or without 10% DMSO) also showed a significant reduction in colony area compared to the control after 48 h, although less pronounced compared to curcumin. In summary, PDI using curcumin or SA-CUR 12a against <i>C. albicans</i> or <i>A. niger</i> is a promising alternative to currently used fungicides, with the advantage of being very unlikely to induce resistance.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/10/11/1315photodynamic inactivationphotosensitizerantifungalcurcumin<i>Candida albicans</i><i>Aspergillus niger</i>
spellingShingle Barbara Schamberger
Kristjan Plaetzer
Photofungizides Based on Curcumin and Derivates Thereof against <i>Candida albicans</i> and <i>Aspergillus niger</i>
Antibiotics
photodynamic inactivation
photosensitizer
antifungal
curcumin
<i>Candida albicans</i>
<i>Aspergillus niger</i>
title Photofungizides Based on Curcumin and Derivates Thereof against <i>Candida albicans</i> and <i>Aspergillus niger</i>
title_full Photofungizides Based on Curcumin and Derivates Thereof against <i>Candida albicans</i> and <i>Aspergillus niger</i>
title_fullStr Photofungizides Based on Curcumin and Derivates Thereof against <i>Candida albicans</i> and <i>Aspergillus niger</i>
title_full_unstemmed Photofungizides Based on Curcumin and Derivates Thereof against <i>Candida albicans</i> and <i>Aspergillus niger</i>
title_short Photofungizides Based on Curcumin and Derivates Thereof against <i>Candida albicans</i> and <i>Aspergillus niger</i>
title_sort photofungizides based on curcumin and derivates thereof against i candida albicans i and i aspergillus niger i
topic photodynamic inactivation
photosensitizer
antifungal
curcumin
<i>Candida albicans</i>
<i>Aspergillus niger</i>
url https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/10/11/1315
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