Anticapsular and Antifungal Activity of α-Cyperone
Fungal infections affect 300 million people and cause 1.5 million deaths globally per year. With the number of immunosuppressed patients increasing steadily, there is an increasing number of patients infected with opportunistic fungal infections such as infections caused by the species of <i>C...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Antibiotics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/10/1/51 |
| _version_ | 1797415940088922112 |
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| author | Connor Horn Govindsamy Vediyappan |
| author_facet | Connor Horn Govindsamy Vediyappan |
| author_sort | Connor Horn |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Fungal infections affect 300 million people and cause 1.5 million deaths globally per year. With the number of immunosuppressed patients increasing steadily, there is an increasing number of patients infected with opportunistic fungal infections such as infections caused by the species of <i>Candida</i> and <i>Cryptococcus</i>. In fact, the drug-resistant <i>Can. krusei</i> and the emerging pan-antifungal resistant <i>Can. auris</i> pose a serious threat to human health as the existing limited antifungals are futile. To further complicate therapy, fungi produce capsules and spores that are resistant to most antifungal drugs/host defenses. Novel antifungal drugs are urgently needed to fill unmet medical needs. From screening a collection of medicinal plant sources for antifungal activity, we have identified an active fraction from the rhizome of <i>Cyperus rotundus</i>, the nut grass plant. The fraction contained α-Cyperone, an essential oil that showed fungicidal activity against different species of <i>Candida</i>. Interestingly, the minimal inhibitory concentration of α-Cyperone was reduced 8-fold when combined with a clinical antifungal drug, fluconazole, indicating its antifungal synergistic potential and could be useful for combination therapy. Furthermore, α-Cyperone affected the synthesis of the capsule in <i>Cryp. neoformans</i>, a causative agent of fungal meningitis in humans. Further work on mechanistic understanding of α-Cyperone against fungal virulence could help develop a novel antifungal agent for drug-resistant fungal pathogens. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:56:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d790e21f063b477d9cacdd2a10ba3f9e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-6382 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:56:40Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Antibiotics |
| spelling | doaj.art-d790e21f063b477d9cacdd2a10ba3f9e2023-12-03T12:13:36ZengMDPI AGAntibiotics2079-63822021-01-011015110.3390/antibiotics10010051Anticapsular and Antifungal Activity of α-CyperoneConnor Horn0Govindsamy Vediyappan1Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USADivision of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USAFungal infections affect 300 million people and cause 1.5 million deaths globally per year. With the number of immunosuppressed patients increasing steadily, there is an increasing number of patients infected with opportunistic fungal infections such as infections caused by the species of <i>Candida</i> and <i>Cryptococcus</i>. In fact, the drug-resistant <i>Can. krusei</i> and the emerging pan-antifungal resistant <i>Can. auris</i> pose a serious threat to human health as the existing limited antifungals are futile. To further complicate therapy, fungi produce capsules and spores that are resistant to most antifungal drugs/host defenses. Novel antifungal drugs are urgently needed to fill unmet medical needs. From screening a collection of medicinal plant sources for antifungal activity, we have identified an active fraction from the rhizome of <i>Cyperus rotundus</i>, the nut grass plant. The fraction contained α-Cyperone, an essential oil that showed fungicidal activity against different species of <i>Candida</i>. Interestingly, the minimal inhibitory concentration of α-Cyperone was reduced 8-fold when combined with a clinical antifungal drug, fluconazole, indicating its antifungal synergistic potential and could be useful for combination therapy. Furthermore, α-Cyperone affected the synthesis of the capsule in <i>Cryp. neoformans</i>, a causative agent of fungal meningitis in humans. Further work on mechanistic understanding of α-Cyperone against fungal virulence could help develop a novel antifungal agent for drug-resistant fungal pathogens.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/10/1/51α-Cyperoneessential oil<i>Cyperus rotundus</i>Candida spp.<i>Candida krusei</i><i>Candida auris</i> |
| spellingShingle | Connor Horn Govindsamy Vediyappan Anticapsular and Antifungal Activity of α-Cyperone Antibiotics α-Cyperone essential oil <i>Cyperus rotundus</i> Candida spp. <i>Candida krusei</i> <i>Candida auris</i> |
| title | Anticapsular and Antifungal Activity of α-Cyperone |
| title_full | Anticapsular and Antifungal Activity of α-Cyperone |
| title_fullStr | Anticapsular and Antifungal Activity of α-Cyperone |
| title_full_unstemmed | Anticapsular and Antifungal Activity of α-Cyperone |
| title_short | Anticapsular and Antifungal Activity of α-Cyperone |
| title_sort | anticapsular and antifungal activity of α cyperone |
| topic | α-Cyperone essential oil <i>Cyperus rotundus</i> Candida spp. <i>Candida krusei</i> <i>Candida auris</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/10/1/51 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT connorhorn anticapsularandantifungalactivityofacyperone AT govindsamyvediyappan anticapsularandantifungalactivityofacyperone |