title: Enhancement of commercial antifungal agents by Kojic Acid.
abstract: Natural compounds that pose no significant medical or environmental side effects are potential sources of antifungal agents, either in their nascent form or as structural backbones for more effective derivatives. Kojic acid (KA) is one such compound. It is a natural by-product of fungal fermentation commonly employed by food and cosmetic industries. We show that KA greatly lowers minimum inhibitory (MIC) or fungicidal (MFC) concentrations of commercial medicinal and agricultural antifungal agents, amphotericin B (AMB) and strobilurin, respectively, against pathogenic yeasts and filamentous fungi. Assays using two mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) mutants, i.e., sakA&#8710;, mpkC&#8710;, of Aspergillus fumigatus, an agent for human invasive aspergillosis, with hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) or AMB indicate such chemosensitizing activity of KA is most conceivably through disruption of fungal antioxidation systems. KA could be developed as a chemosensitizer to enhance efficacy of certain conventional antifungal drugs or fungicides.
authors.affiliation: Plant Mycotoxin Research Unit, Western Regional Research Center, USDA-ARS, 800 Buchanan St., Albany, CA 94710, USA. jongheon.kim@ars.usda.gov.
authors.forename: Jong H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Perng-Kuang
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Kathleen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Natália C G
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Faria
authors.forename: Noreen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mahoney
authors.forename: Young K
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Maria de L
authors.initials: Mde L
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Bruce C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Campbell
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001688:Biological Products / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D052978:Disk Diffusion Antimicrobial Tests; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D011753:Pyrones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015003:Yeasts / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D001688:Biological Products; D011753:Pyrones; C011890:kojic acid; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide