Scholarlink

Background <p><i>Candida albicans</i> (<i>C. albicans</i>) is an opportunistic mycopathogen that clinically presents serious challenges due to its ability to cause diverse infections. High mortality rates and increased resistance to antifungals are what make this pathogen particularly concerning. Pogostone (PO) is a bioactive compound with anti-<i>C. albicans</i> activity, isolated from <i>Pogostemon cablin</i> (patchouli). Yet, there is limited research concerning the mechanism of action of PO on <i>C. albicans</i> biofilms in a detailed and thorough manner. It is for this reason that this study sought to determine the inhibitory effects of PO on <i>C. albicans</i> biofilm and hyphae.</p> Results <p>PO displayed a noticeable inhibitory effect against fluconazole-resistant <i>Candida</i> species that had an MIC range of 16 to 32&#xa0;µg/mL. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations revealed that PO effectively inhibited hyphal morphotransformation. The results obtained from XTT reduction assays, crystal violet (CV) staining, and cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) measurements indicated that PO significantly reduces metabolic activity, biomass accumulation, and surface hydrophobicity of <i>C. albicans</i> biofilms across different growth stages. Additionally, the confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) imaging further demonstrated PO’s interference in the three-dimensional architecture of <i>C. albicans</i> biofilms. Notably, this study innovatively discovered that PO can inhibit the adhesion and invasion of <i>C. albicans</i> on human vaginal epithelial (VK2/E6E7) cells. Transcriptome data showed that PO affected gene expression involved in hyphal morphogenesis, biofilm formation, and several major metabolic processes. The reduced expression of the virulence gene candidates <i>HWP1</i>, <i>ECE1</i>, <i>ALS3</i>, <i>TPK2</i>, and <i>EFG1</i> was validated by qRT-PCR. The data point towards PO interfering with several biological pathways, especially ribosomal biopathways, metabolism, and gene transcription related to biofilm formation.</p> Conclusions <p>PO exerts its antifungal activity against <i>C. albicans</i> by disrupting two major virulence factors: inhibition of mycelium and biofilm. This study provides a new insight into the mode of antifungal actions of PO and thus opens newer vistas for its use in alternative therapy against conventional antifungal therapies.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Pogostone disrupts key virulence traits of Candida albicans: hyphal inhibition and biofilm suppression

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月12日

查看全文
  • Luyao Sun,
  • Zihan Luo,
  • Xingju Zou,
  • Chen Sun,
  • Fu Peng,
  • Cheng Peng,
  • Qinmei Zhou

摘要

Background

Candida albicans (C. albicans) is an opportunistic mycopathogen that clinically presents serious challenges due to its ability to cause diverse infections. High mortality rates and increased resistance to antifungals are what make this pathogen particularly concerning. Pogostone (PO) is a bioactive compound with anti-C. albicans activity, isolated from Pogostemon cablin (patchouli). Yet, there is limited research concerning the mechanism of action of PO on C. albicans biofilms in a detailed and thorough manner. It is for this reason that this study sought to determine the inhibitory effects of PO on C. albicans biofilm and hyphae.

Results

PO displayed a noticeable inhibitory effect against fluconazole-resistant Candida species that had an MIC range of 16 to 32 µg/mL. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations revealed that PO effectively inhibited hyphal morphotransformation. The results obtained from XTT reduction assays, crystal violet (CV) staining, and cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) measurements indicated that PO significantly reduces metabolic activity, biomass accumulation, and surface hydrophobicity of C. albicans biofilms across different growth stages. Additionally, the confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) imaging further demonstrated PO’s interference in the three-dimensional architecture of C. albicans biofilms. Notably, this study innovatively discovered that PO can inhibit the adhesion and invasion of C. albicans on human vaginal epithelial (VK2/E6E7) cells. Transcriptome data showed that PO affected gene expression involved in hyphal morphogenesis, biofilm formation, and several major metabolic processes. The reduced expression of the virulence gene candidates HWP1, ECE1, ALS3, TPK2, and EFG1 was validated by qRT-PCR. The data point towards PO interfering with several biological pathways, especially ribosomal biopathways, metabolism, and gene transcription related to biofilm formation.

Conclusions

PO exerts its antifungal activity against C. albicans by disrupting two major virulence factors: inhibition of mycelium and biofilm. This study provides a new insight into the mode of antifungal actions of PO and thus opens newer vistas for its use in alternative therapy against conventional antifungal therapies.