title: Effect of pepstatin A on the virulence factors of Candida albicans strains isolated from vaginal environment of patients in three different clinical conditions.
abstract: The aspartate proteinase inhibitor pepstatin A was used to study a possible correlation among proteinase activity and other virulence factors of Candida albicans strains isolated from the vaginal environment of patients in three different clinical conditions: asympthomatic, vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) and recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC). The addition of 1.0 muM pepstatin A did not have any significant effect on hyphae formation, biofilm production and in the cell surface hydrofobicity of isolates in the three different clinical conditions. However, pepstatin A reduced the adherence of C. albicans to vaginal mucosa epithelial cells (53.1, 48.7 and 59.9%, respectively to isolates from asymptomatic, VVC and RVVC patients). This result suggests that the secreted aspartate proteinases (Saps) of this fungal pathogen may have auxiliary roles in cellular adhesion.
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Mycology, Teaching and Research in Clinical Analysis Laboratory, State University of Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: M E L
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Consolaro
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gasparetto
authors.forename: T I E
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Svidzinski
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Peralta
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D002181:Candidiasis, Vulvovaginal / Q000382:microbiology; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D006801:Humans; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D025301:Hyphae / Q000187:drug effects; D008875:Middle Aged; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000382:microbiology; D010436:Pepstatins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012008:Recurrence; D014621:Vagina / Q000382:microbiology; D014774:Virulence / Q000187:drug effects; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D010436:Pepstatins; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D037521:Virulence Factors; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases; C031375:pepstatin