Antibiotics

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Melyssa Negri

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Guest Editor

Laboratory of Medical Mycology, Department of Clinical Analysis and Biomedicine, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringa, Brazil
Interests: fungal pathogenesis; biofilm; mycobiome; antifungal drug development; natural compounds

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biofilm formation is an important virulence factor of fungi and contributes towards the resistance to host immune responses as well as to antifungal resistance and environmental stresses. Biofilm-related fungal infections are generally more severe than those caused by fungi alone, leading to increased antimicrobial resistance and prolonging the time required for host recovery. In addition, the available anti-biofilm therapeutic arsenal is limited, and the development of new drugs has been necessary. Therefore, the search for alternative drugs with low resistance rates and fewer side effects remains a major challenge. A considerable number of studies on medicinal plants and alternative compounds, such as secondary metabolites, bioactive, nanoparticle biosynthesis, phenolic compounds, essential oils, and extracts, have been performed, as well as studies related to the prevention or treatment of fungal infections by probiotic bacteria. However, further research on the effects and treatment on fungal biofilms is needed.

The main mission of this Special Issue will be to discover the advances and perspectives on the control and treatment of fungal biofilms by natural products. We believe that the contributions published in this issue will help us significantly expand our knowledge on alternative therapies to control fungal biofilms and will provide a high-quality source of information as well as inspiration for many experts in the field.

Prof. Dr. Melyssa Negri
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

fungal biofilm
natural compounds
anti-biofilm molecules
photodynamic inactivation
treatment
probiotic
nanoparticles
quorum-sensing inhibitors

Published Papers (1 paper)

Research

21 pages, 3627 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Anticandidal Activity of a Siderophore from Marine Endophyte Pseudomonas aeruginosa Mgrv7

by Essam Kotb, Amira H. Al-Abdalall, Ibtisam Ababutain, Nada F. AlAhmady, Sahar Aldossary, Eida Alkhaldi, Azzah I. Alghamdi, Hind A. S. Alzahrani, Mashael A. Almuhawish, Moudhi N. Alshammary and Asmaa A. Ahmed

Antibiotics 2024, 13(4), 347; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics13040347 - 10 Apr 2024

Viewed by 916

Abstract

An endophytic symbiont P. aeruginosa-producing anticandidal siderophore was recovered from mangrove leaves for the first time. Production was optimal in a succinate medium supplemented with 0.4% citric acid and 15 µM iron at pH 7 and 35 °C after 60 h of fermentation. UV spectra of the acidic preparation after purification with Amberlite XAD-4 resin gave a peak at 400 nm, while the neutralized form gave a peak at 360 nm. A prominent peak with RP-HPLC was obtained at RT 18.95 min, confirming its homogeneity. It was pH stable at 5.0–9.5 and thermally stable at elevated temperatures, which encourages the possibility of its application in extreme environments. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) against Candida spp. Were in the range of 128 µg/mL and lower. It enhanced the intracellular iron accumulation with 3.2–4.2-fold (as judged by atomic absorption spectrometry) with a subsequent increase in the intracellular antioxidative enzymes SOD and CAT. Furthermore, the malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration due to cellular lipid peroxidation increased to 3.8-fold and 7.3-fold in C. albicans and C. tropicalis, respectively. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) confirmed cellular damage in the form of roughness, malformation, and production of defensive exopolysaccharides and/or proteins after exposure to siderophore. In conclusion, this anticandidal siderophore may be a promising biocontrol, nonpolluting agent against waterborne pathogens and pathogens of the skin. It indirectly kills Candida spp. by ferroptosis and mediation of hyperaccumulation of iron rather than directly attacking the cell targets, which triggers the activation of antioxidative enzymes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Prospects in the Control of Biofilm-Related Fungal Infections by Natural Products)

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