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Antifungal activity of 25-azalanosterol against Candida species

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Abstract

The antifungal properties of 25-azalanosterol was investigated. Compared to normal antifungal reagents, fluoconazole, clotrimazole and voriconazole, it exhibited significant anti-Candida activity (the minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] ranges were 0.125–8, 0.5–8 and 0.5–32 µg/mL against C. albicans, C. krusei and C. glabrata, respectively), but showed little toxicity to mice liver cells at clinical dosage after 24 h of exposure, with the lowest lactate dehydrogenase and the highest ED50 compared to four other azoles antifungal agents. 25-Azalanosterol inhibited the incorporation of [methyl-3H3] AdoMet into the C-24 of ergosterol in whole cells of C. albicans. Thus, 25-azalanosterol, as an inhibitor of the growth of C. albicans in vitro, may have considerable potential as a new class of anti-Candida agent that lacks toxic side effects in the mammalian host.

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Acknowledgement

The authors wish to thank Prof. W. D. Nes for his assistance in the experimental procedures and the manuscript preparation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life Science and Technology, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, People’s Republic of China

    J. Wang

  2. Department of Biology, Texas Tech University, Lubock, TX, 79409, USA

    J. Wu

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  1. J. Wang
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  2. J. Wu
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Correspondence to J. Wang.

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Wang, J., Wu, J. Antifungal activity of 25-azalanosterol against Candida species. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 27, 1131–1136 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-008-0554-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-008-0554-y

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