title: Modulation of the anti-Candida activity of apo-lactoferrin by dietary sucrose and tunicamycin in vitro.
abstract: The sensitivity to apo-lactoferrin (apo-LF) of two oral isolates each of Candida albicans and C. krusei preincubated in either sucrose- or tunicamycin-supplemented media was investigated. Known apo-LF-sensitive isolates of both C. albicans and C. krusei demonstrated significantly increased resistance to apo-LF when preincubated in sucrose-supplemented media, but such preincubation had no effect on an apo-LF-resistant isolate of C. albicans, irrespective of the sugar concentration in the medium. Surprisingly, an apo-LF-resistant isolate of C. krusei demonstrated increased susceptibility to apo-LF when preincubated in sucrose. Further, when preincubated with tunicamycin, a chemical that interferes with candidal cell-wall formation, the susceptibility to apo-LF of the resistant isolates increased significantly. These results, when extrapolated in vivo, imply that dietary sucrose may diminish the anticandidal potency of salivary lactoferrin. However, the aberrant behaviour of a single isolate of C. krusei under these circumstances is possibly due to the different cell-wall structure of this yeast and needs to be further investigated.
authors.affiliation: Oral Biology Unit, Prince Philip Dental Hospital, University of Hong Kong.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nikawa
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Samaranayake
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hamada
mesh_terms: D001059:Apoproteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002175:Candida / Q000187:drug effects*; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects*; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability / Q000187:drug effects; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000187:drug effects; D003470:Culture Media; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000494:pharmacology; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013395:Sucrose / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014415:Tunicamycin / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D001059:Apoproteins; D003470:Culture Media; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; C039223:apolactoferrin; D014415:Tunicamycin; D013395:Sucrose; D007781:Lactoferrin