title: Substrates and modulators of the multidrug transporter Cdr1p of Candida albicans in antifungal extracts of medicinal plants.
abstract: The effective treatment of infections caused by the most frequent human fungal pathogens Candida albicans and Candida glabrata is hindered by a limited number of available antifungals and development of resistance. In this study, we identified new extracts of medicinal plants inhibiting the growth of C. glabrata, a species generally showing low sensitivity to azoles. The methanolic extract of Anacardium occidentalis with an MIC of 80 microg ml(-1) proved to be the most active. In contrast to higher azole sensitivity, C. albicans showed increased resistance to several extracts. Investigation of the possible contribution of the multidrug transporter of the ATP-binding cassette superfamily Cdr1p of C. albicans to extract tolerance revealed a differential response upon overproduction of this protein in Saccharaomyces cerevisiae. Whereas the growth inhibitory activity of many extracts was not affected by CDR1 overexpression, increased sensitivity to some of them was observed. In contrast, extracts showing no detectable anticandidal activity including the ethyl acetate extract of Trichilia emetica were detoxified by Cdr1p. The presence of a non-toxic Cdr1p-mediated ketoconazole resistance modulator accompanying growth-inhibitory Cdr1p substrates in this extract was revealed by further fractionation experiments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland. mkolacz2@poczta.onet.pl
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kolaczkowski
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kolaczkowska
authors.forename: Kamila
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sroda
authors.forename: Cátia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ramalhete
authors.forename: Krystyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Michalak
authors.forename: Silva
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mulhovo
authors.forename: Maria José U
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Ferreira
mesh_terms: D031021:Anacardium / Q000737:chemistry*; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D041221:Candida glabrata / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D025141:Drug Resistance, Fungal / Q000187:drug effects*; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D029582:Meliaceae / Q000737:chemistry; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; C094693:CDR1 protein, Candida albicans; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D010936:Plant Extracts