Impact of lysozyme and lactoferrin on oral Candida isolates exposed to polyene antimycotics and fluconazole.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the antifungal activity of lysozyme and lactoferrin on 10 oral isolates each of Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis following their brief exposure (I h) to subtherapeutic concentrations of two polyene drugs - nystatin, amphotericin B, and an azole -fluconazole.


METHODS
Yeasts were sequentially exposed to subtherapeutic concentrations of antifungals and then to either lysozyme or lactoferrin and the viability evaluated by quantifying colony-forming units.


RESULTS
The exposure of both C. albicans and C. tropicalis isolates to all three antifungal agents significantly increased their susceptibility to lysozyme (P < 0.05) but not to lactoferrin. Exposure to the two polyene drugs had a lesser impact on the lysozyme susceptibility of both Candida species compared with the azole drug. Both interspecies and intraspecies sensitivity to lysozyme was noted and C. albicans was less susceptible than C. tropicalis.


CONCLUSIONS
Lysozyme, in addition to being a potent natural antifungal agent, may act synergistically with the studied antimycotics.
Oral Bio-Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong.
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Samaranayake
D000666:Amphotericin B / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects*; D041022:Candida tropicalis / Q000187:drug effects*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D015725:Fluconazole / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009055:Mouth / Q000382:microbiology; D009113:Muramidase / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009761:Nystatin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013045:Species Specificity; D013223:Statistics as Topic
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000935:Antifungal Agents; D009761:Nystatin; D000666:Amphotericin B; D015725:Fluconazole; D009113:Muramidase; D007781:Lactoferrin